CreditFlex - Central Bank of Ireland Issues Warning on Unauthorised Firm

Although this is a consumer warning rather than a new rule, it is a timely third-party risk signal for firms with Irish exposure. Compliance teams should treat the named contact details as indicators of potential impersonation, unauthorised intermediation or lead-generation risk. Relevant actions include screening the website, email address and phone number against onboarding, broker, vendor and payment-recipient records; adding them to fraud-monitoring and customer-communication watchlists; briefing front-line and financial-crime teams; and reminding customers to verify authorisation before sharing data or making payments.

Firms should also review controls for high-cost credit referrals, affiliate marketing and outsourced credit broking, and preserve evidence of any exposure for regulatory or law-enforcement enquiries. No direct filing deadline is attached, but prompt internal escalation is advisable. The warning reinforces the need for robust verification of counterparties and clear escalation paths where unauthorised activity is suspected.

Opportunities arise from strengthening customer trust through proactive scam awareness and tighter due diligence.