Check a professional’s identity and regulatory claims

Write down the precise claim

Start with the legal name of the business, the individual’s name and the activity you are being offered. A trading name can differ from the regulated entity. A professional title, membership badge or company registration number answers a different question from permission to carry out a regulated service.

Ask for the relevant registration or membership identifier. Then navigate independently to the regulator or professional body’s own website. Avoid relying solely on a screenshot of a certificate or a link sent by the person whose claim you are checking.

Match the details, not just the name

For solicitors and law firms in England and Wales, use the SRA’s Solicitors Register. Check the exact person or firm and the status shown. A search of published disciplinary decisions is a separate exercise and is not a substitute for checking the register.

For financial services, the FCA’s Firm Checker can help consumers assess whether a firm has permission for the service offered. More detailed records appear on the Financial Services Register. Match the website and contact details carefully: impersonators can borrow the name and registration number of a real firm.

Understand the boundary of a check

An entry confirms only what the relevant record actually says at the time you consult it. It does not prove every claim on a website, guarantee service quality or establish that the person contacting you represents the registered firm.

Use independent contact details from the regulator to resolve discrepancies. For overseas work, identify the relevant jurisdiction and regulator rather than assuming a UK entry covers everything. If an occupation is not regulated in the same way, describe qualifications and memberships accurately without turning them into a licence.

• Save the official record address and the date checked.
• Note the exact legal entity and any trading name.
• Record mismatches as unresolved questions.
• Ask what the claimed credential actually covers.

Make a two-column verification note

Free first step: list “claim made” and “official record found” side by side. Add a third column for what still needs confirmation. This makes a polite, specific follow-up much easier than asking for general reassurance.

PDC can discuss due diligence where a professional relationship, supplier or transaction needs broader verification. Start with the decision you are making and the claims that remain uncertain. For concerns about a regulated service itself, use the relevant regulator’s guidance and complaint routes.

Questions you may have