THE UK regulator, Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) indicated that an entity called Portsmouth Lending posed as Jamaican and targeted UK citizens for unauthorised services.

But it doesn’t know the scale of the impact or the number of persons whom were affected.

“We don’t know if the calls stopped or intensified, we don’t have any data on that at all,” Lara Joseph FCA spokesperson told the Observer in overseas phone interview on Monday.

Checks by the Observer indicate that Portsmouth Lending isn’t listed in Jamaica, and further, its telephone number (877 area code) is not of Jamaican origin. Additionally, its listed website is inactive.

“The address that they said they were using was one based in Jamaica…but we thought in reality they were based somewhere else. We don’t think that was their actual address,” Joseph stated.

The FCA declined to reveal the services offered or any complaints raised about Portsmouth. However, one complaint on a scam alert website — Scambook — lists Portsmouth as offering a US$5,000 loan, but requiring the wiring of a US$491 processing fee prior to the disbursement. The loan never materialised, according to the website.

In July, the FCA issued a warning about the entity indicating the risk to UK citizens.

“We believe that this organisation may be targeting UK consumers,” stated the FCA notice in July. “This entity is using the details of an FCA authorised firm. The following firm has no association whatsoever with the organisation referred to above.”

The FCA indicated that Portsmouth utilised the brand recognition of CHJ Management as a regulated entity to gain certitude from callers.

“What we do know is that they were using the address of an authorised firm in a way that they shouldn’t have been,” said Joseph. “They have nothing to do with CHJ management.”

On Monday, the FCA was also unable to indicate why the entity utilised a false Jamaican contact rather than the business capitals of the world.

“I am sure there are lots of reasons that they could have chose a Jamaican address… but I honestly do not know,” she said. “There are some countries which have a reputation for perhaps [scams]. Jamaica to my knowledge is not one of them. That is not to say that there are not scams originating from there, but to the best of my knowledge, I do not think [Jamaica].”

The FCA indicates that it will not seek to track down the entity unless it enters into regulated activities.

“We do not have powers over companies we do not regulate,” said the FCA spokesperson. “But people will always be able to access this warning. But because we do not have power over companies we do not regulate we cannot fine or take action.”

The island’s reputation is already affected by the ‘lotto scam’, which fleeced mostly US nationals of millions on the premise of winning lotteries.