The Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA) alerts the financial services community and the public to a scam in which a legitimate DFSA Authorised Firm, Nomura International plc’s Dubai International Financial Centre (DIFC) Branch (the Firm), has been impersonated. The scammers are using the name “Nomura Investment International Plc.” and have offered fraudulent investment opportunities to potential investors by issuing fictitious investment contracts that falsely claim to involve the Firm.

The scammers appear to have impersonated the Firm by:

•  using the name “Nomura Investment International Plc”, which is deceptively similar to the name of the legitimate DFSA Authorised Firm;
• sending unsolicited communications to prospective investors enclosing fake investment documents – including a fictitious contract falsely naming Nomura International plc (DIFC Branch) as a counterparty – to lend credibility to their scheme;
•   setting up fraudulent websites (for example, https://nomurainvestment.com and https://nmintplc.com) that misuse the Firm’s name and purported DIFC address – these websites do not belong to Nomura or any DFSA-regulated entity;
• using fake or unofficial contact details, such as email addresses and telephone numbers falsely presented as the Firm’s genuine contact information (note: all legitimate Nomura Group email addresses end with “@nomura.com”); and
• soliciting advance fees from investors – in at least one instance, a victim was asked to pay an upfront fee under the guise of an investment agreement.

The DFSA confirms that:

• “Nomura Investment International Plc.” is not incorporated or located in the DIFC, and is not, and has never been, Authorised or Licensed by the DFSA; and
• Nomura International plc (DIFC Branch) has no association with “Nomura Investment International Plc.” or any fraudulent investment schemes purporting to be connected to Nomura.

Additionally, the DFSA advises that the perpetrators of this scam have never been authorised by the DFSA to provide financial services in or from the DIFC. The Firm’s genuine DIFC branch does not solicit members of the public with investment offers via unsolicited communications, nor does it ever require upfront payments for any financial services.

The DFSA strongly advises you not to respond to any communications regarding this scam, and under no circumstances should you send or give any money to any party involved.

The DFSA has a page on its website dedicated to alerts which is has issued about scams.  All alerts issued by the DFSA may be accessed by going to Alerts

The DFSA has also issued warnings and guidance about the common types of scams perpetrated on consumers. For more information on these scams, please go to How to avoid being scammed

The DFSA encourages consumers to refer to the list of regulated Firms and Authorised Individuals licensed by the DFSA that is available on the DFSA's Public Register

If you have any concerns about the authenticity of any correspondence or documents that purport to be issued by the DIFC, DFSA or a DFSA-regulated Firm, you should direct your concerns to the DIFC on Tel: +971 4 362 2222 and to the DFSA via the DFSA Complaints function on Complaints