Fraud warning: watch for clone firms

Why we publish this warning

Fraudsters deliberately target the customers of trusted brands, because trust is the one asset they cannot build for themselves. Cloning a company means copying its name, its logo, its website structure and sometimes even its regulatory disclosures, then using the copy to collect deposits that vanish. The more closely a fraudster can imitate the original, the less suspicion the imitation attracts, which is why this page is blunt rather than reassuring.

We publish this warning for three reasons. First, so that anyone researching a contact that claims to be Brunevo can verify it in seconds. Second, because victims of clone firms frequently blame, and sue, the cloned company, and we would rather arm you with checks than defences. Third, because awareness genuinely works: the scam depends entirely on the target not pausing to verify.

Clone firms: what they are and how to spot one

A clone firm presents itself as a legitimate company, using the brand, name or logo of a real business it has no connection to. Clones advertise on social media, cold-call from purchased lists, and build websites that mirror the original down to the colour scheme. Some go further and impersonate staff on messaging apps, complete with plausible job titles and photographs lifted from real profiles.

If you suspect you are dealing with a clone using our brand, name or logo, do not share any personal information with them and notify us immediately by email at [email protected]. We work continuously to identify clone operations, and we stress that some remain undetected for a period of time. Customers should always verify the legitimacy of any company they deal with online before sharing personal data or entering any business relationship.

The checks take less than a minute. Confirm the domain exactly, letter by letter. Confirm the email address ends in our domain, not a look-alike. Ask the caller for your protective code, the phrase you can set on your account with our support team that genuine representatives will know. And hang up on anyone who tells you that verifying is unnecessary because time is short: manufactured urgency is the single most reliable sign of fraud.

When our name is misused

We are aware of cases where our name and the personal data of individuals have been misused for fraudulent purposes, in ways we cannot influence or control. While we deeply regret the financial losses suffered by anyone caught in such schemes, our company bears no responsibility for fraudulent operations carried out in our name by parties we have never employed, contracted or authorised.

That statement is legal fact, not an attempt to wash our hands of the problem. Our responsibility is to make cloning us as hard as possible and reporting it as easy as possible, which is what this page, the protective-code mechanism described on the Security page, and our immediate-reporting mailbox exist to do.

How to report

Write to [email protected] with the phrase fraud report in the subject. Include everything you have: the domain, phone number or social profile that approached you, copies of messages, and any payment details you were given, but stop short of sending new personal documents. Our team reviews every report the working day it arrives, confirms to you whether the contact was genuine, and passes verified clone operations to the appropriate authorities.

If you have already paid a clone firm, contact your bank immediately and ask about their fraud procedures; speed matters more for card payments and transfers than for anything we can do from our side. Then report it to us so the pattern is on record, and to Action Fraud, the UK's national fraud reporting service.