Central Bank of Ireland Issues Warning on Unauthorised Firm – Careysfort Asset Estates Limited

The Central Bank of Ireland (‘Central Bank’) today (9 June 2022) published the name of an unauthorised company, Careysfort Asset Estates Limited, in order to warn the public that it is not authorised by the Central Bank to provide financial services.

Careysfort Asset Estates Limited is an English-registered company, having its registered address at 22 Wenlock Road, London, England N1 7GU. Catriona Carey is the sole director of Careysfort Asset Estates Limited.

The Central Bank believes that Careysfort Asset Estates Limited is holding  itself out as a person whose business consists wholly or partly of providing credit directly to a relevant person but it holds no authorisation from the Central Bank as a retail credit firm.

It is a criminal offence for an unauthorised firm / person to provide financial services in Ireland that would require an authorisation under the relevant legislation, which the Central Bank is the responsible body for enforcing. Consumers should check the Central Bank registers online to find out if a firm / person they are dealing with is authorised. Consumers should be wary of advertisements offering loans from unauthorised firms or persons.

There are some general steps that individuals should take before dealing with firms / persons which purport to offer financial services:

• If you are buying a financial product such as a loan, insurance, investment or pension, or engaging a financial service such as investment advice, only deal with a Central Bank authorised firm / person – check our Register to see if the firm / person is registered. Always access the Register from our website, rather than through links in emails or on a firm’s / person’s website.
• Always double-check the URL and contact details of a firm / person in case it is a ‘clone firm / person’ pretending to be an authorised firm / person, such as your bank or a genuine investment firm.
• Check the list of unauthorised firms. If the firm / person is not on our list, do not assume it is legitimate – it may not have been reported to the Central Bank yet.
• Check that the product being offered to you is present on the website of the legitimate firm.
• If you are considering buying a financial product or dealing with a firm, through a website or social media, or if you receive an unsolicited phone call, email, text message or pop-up box out of the blue, take the SAFE test.

For further information, please visit the Avoiding Scams and Unauthorised Activity section of the Central Bank’s website.

Please remember:

• the Central Bank will never contact you asking for money, your personal data or your PPS number; and
• if you are offered something that seems too good to be true, it is most likely a scam. 

Any person wishing to contact the Central Bank with information regarding such firms / persons may telephone (01) 224 4000. This line is also available to the public to check if a firm is authorised.

Notes to Editors

The name of the above firm is published under the Central Bank (Supervision and Enforcement) Act 2013.