Pension scams: the warning signs that repeat every time

• Contact out of nowhere. Cold-calling about pensions has been illegal in the UK since 2019. A cold call IS the warning.
• A free pension review. The classic door-opener; legitimate advisers don't trawl for business this way.
• Early access promises. 'Unlock your pension before 55' — the offer that triggers devastating tax penalties on top of the theft.
• Guaranteed high returns. Nobody can guarantee returns; the word 'guaranteed' next to a big number is the tell itself.
• Pressure. Deadlines, couriers waiting for signatures, 'this closes on Friday'.
• Exotic investments. Overseas property, forestry, parking spaces, storage pods — glamorous, illiquid, unregulated.

Scam victims aren't foolish; they're normal people meeting professional persuaders. The paperwork looks real because it's copied from real firms. The websites are polished. Some scammers clone the names and registration numbers of authorised firms — which is why checking the FCA Register matters and why you call the firm back on the number from the Register, never the one on the paperwork.

First: any pension approach you didn't initiate gets treated as hostile until proven otherwise. Second: before moving anything, speak to someone verifiable — the FCA's ScamSmart site, MoneyHelper's free guidance, or a regulated adviser you found yourself (ideally through someone you trust, like your accountant). Ten minutes of checking beats a decade of regret. If you think you've already been targeted, report to Action Fraud and contact your provider immediately — speed matters.