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How to verify a licence or credential
To verify a licence or credential, name the body that issues it, go to that body's own official register, and search for the person or firm there. Never rely on a certificate, screenshot, or link the contact gives you, and never trust a registration you cannot look up on the regulator's own site. A genuine credential survives this check in a minute. A fake one depends on you not running it.
Who this is for
This guide is for anyone deciding whether to trust a recovery firm, a blockchain tracer, an investigator, a lawyer, or a financial adviser who claims to be licensed or credentialed, especially after a loss, when a convincing credential is exactly what a second scam relies on. The method below works for any profession and any country.
The one rule
Verify the credential on the register run by the body that issues it, and nowhere else. The entire trick of a fake credential is to put the proof in a place the scammer controls: a PDF certificate, a screenshot, a page on their own website, a number on their letterhead. None of those is verification. The only thing that counts is finding the person or firm on the issuing body's own public register.
The five steps
1. Name the body. Decide which authority would license this exact role. A securities adviser is registered with a financial regulator; a lawyer with a bar or law society; a private investigator with a state or national licensing authority. If the claimed credential does not map to any real issuing body, that is your answer already.
2. Go to that body's own site. Find the regulator's official website yourself, by searching for it and checking the address, rather than following any link the contact supplied. Official US government registers end in .gov or are run by a named self-regulatory body.
3. Search for the person, not the marketing. Look up the individual's name and the firm's name on the register's search tool. Do not settle for the firm's own "as seen on" page or a logo wall.
4. Match the details. Confirm the name, the registration or licence number, the current status, the dates, and that the scope of the licence actually covers what they are offering. A lapsed, restricted, or unrelated licence is not a valid one.
5. Check for look-alikes. Scammers register names a hair away from real firms, or clone a legitimate professional's identity. If the register entry and the person contacting you differ in any detail, treat it as impersonation.
Where to actually check
The right register depends on the claimed role and country. Some of the main ones:
- US investment advisers and brokers: FINRA BrokerCheck (brokercheck.finra.org) and the SEC's Investment Adviser Public Disclosure site (adviserinfo.sec.gov).
- US commodity and futures professionals: the National Futures Association's BASIC database (nfa.futures.org).
- US lawyers: the state bar association for the state where the lawyer claims to practise; each publishes a member directory and disciplinary status.
- US private investigators: the state licensing authority, usually a department of state, public safety, or consumer affairs.
- UK financial firms: the Financial Conduct Authority's Financial Services Register (register.fca.org.uk).
- Australian financial firms: the Australian Securities and Investments Commission's professional registers (asic.gov.au).
If the role is something else, the principle holds: find the official issuing body and use its own register.
The fakes that look like licences
Much of the deception works by presenting a real registration that is not a licence at all. These are genuine documents, which is what makes them persuasive, but none of them involves any vetting of competence or conduct.
A business registration, a government procurement listing, a commercial directory entry, a chamber of commerce membership, and a quality-management certification are all things a company can simply sign up for. They prove a business exists on paper. They say nothing about whether someone is licensed to give financial advice, practise law, or conduct investigations. Treat any of them, offered as proof of a professional licence, as a red flag rather than reassurance.
The context where this matters most
After a crypto loss, the credential is the centrepiece of the second scam. A "licensed recovery agent," a "certified blockchain investigator," or a "regulated fund recovery firm" uses the licence claim to justify an upfront fee or a request for access. Running the check above is often the fastest way to end that conversation. Our guide on spotting a crypto recovery scam covers the wider pattern, and what to do after a recovery firm contacts you is the immediate response.
Remember too that a valid licence is necessary, not sufficient. A real licence does not make an unsolicited offer trustworthy, and it does not make an upfront recovery fee acceptable. Verification removes the fakes; your other warning signs still apply to whoever is left.
Red flags
- A certificate or screenshot offered as proof, instead of a register you can search
- A licence number that returns nothing, or someone else, on the official register
- A "registration" that turns out to be a free listing with no vetting
- A credential from a body you cannot find an official website for
- A name almost identical to a well-known firm or professional
- Reluctance, excuses, or pressure when you say you want to verify first
- A current, valid licence used to wave away an upfront fee or a request for access
What this guide cannot do
It cannot vouch for any specific firm, and a valid licence is not on its own a reason to proceed, especially with anyone who contacted you unsolicited or wants paying before anything is recovered. What it can do is strip away the single most effective prop a recovery scam uses. When a credential cannot be found on the issuing body's own register, you have your answer. When it can, you have cleared one hurdle, not all of them.
This is general information, not legal or financial advice. Register names and procedures vary by country.
Use Chain Pursuit's free tools to understand your options and preserve evidence. Verify any licence on the regulator's own register, and never share your seed phrase or private keys with anyone.
Sources
FINRA, BrokerCheck. https://brokercheck.finra.org, the public register of US brokers and brokerage firms, including registration status and disclosures.
US Securities and Exchange Commission, Investment Adviser Public Disclosure. https://adviserinfo.sec.gov, the public register of US investment advisers.
National Futures Association, BASIC. https://www.nfa.futures.org, background and registration status for US futures and commodity professionals.
UK Financial Conduct Authority, Financial Services Register. https://register.fca.org.uk, the official record of firms and individuals the FCA regulates, including scam and clone-firm warnings.
Australian Securities and Investments Commission, Professional registers. https://asic.gov.au, Australian registers of licensed financial firms and professionals.
Register names, URLs, and scope are as published by each authority and may change. Reviewed quarterly.
Frequently asked questions
A recovery firm sent me a certificate showing it is licensed. Is that enough?
No. A certificate, PDF, or screenshot proves nothing, because anyone can create one. Verification means finding the firm or person on the issuing regulator's own public register and matching the details. If it is not there, treat the certificate as fake.
How do I know which register to check?
Match the role to the body that licenses it. Financial advisers and brokers are on financial-regulator registers, lawyers on a bar or law society roll, and private investigators on a state licensing authority. If no real issuing body fits the claimed credential, that itself is the warning.
They gave me a link to verify their licence. Should I use it?
No. A link the contact supplies can lead to a convincing fake page they control. Find the regulator's official site yourself by searching and checking the address, then use its own search tool. The point of verifying is to leave the channel the scammer controls.
They are registered with the government, so they must be legitimate, right?
Not necessarily. Many "registrations" are free listings, such as a business registration, a procurement listing, or a directory entry, that involve no vetting of competence or conduct. They show a company exists on paper, not that anyone is licensed to advise, practise law, or investigate.
The licence number returns a different name than the person contacting me. What does that mean?
Treat it as impersonation. Scammers often borrow the real licence details of a genuine professional. If the register entry does not match the person or firm contacting you in every detail, including the name and current status, do not proceed.
I verified the licence and it is real. Does that mean the offer is safe?
Not by itself. A valid licence removes the fakes, but your other warning signs still apply. An unsolicited offer, a guarantee of recovery, or any upfront fee remains a reason to stop, even from a genuinely licensed party.
What if I cannot find any register for the credential they claim?
That is a strong warning sign. Legitimate professional credentials are issued by identifiable bodies with public records. If no official issuing authority or register exists for the claimed credential, assume the credential is invented.
Does a licence from another country count?
Only within that country's scope, and you still verify it on that country's official register. A foreign licence does not authorise someone to act where it has no standing, and claims of exotic or offshore licences are a common way to make verification difficult. If you cannot check it on an official register, do not rely on it.
Someone is offering to help, and claims to be licensed?
Run the checks here first, then see what a real recovery route actually looks like.
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