Police van drives home message about investment mis-selling

The Jersey Financial Services Commission (JFSC) has teamed up with the States of Jersey Police to decorate a police van with a powerful message about investment mis-selling in the Island.

The collaboration forms part of the JFSC’s Island-wide public awareness campaign which launched last Monday (16 January) to highlight what the regulator regards as a growing issue for Jersey. It follows an increase in the number of cases where local investors have lost some or all of their life savings after making high risk investments.

The police van, which has been decorated with the JFSC’s highly visible campaign artwork, will be on the road from tomorrow as part of the JFSC’s commitment to reduce risk to local investors and seek to protect the Island’s reputation.

John Harris, JFSC Director General commented:
“This campaign is a multi-faceted public awareness initiative with television and radio commercials, leaflets delivered to Island homes, newspaper and magazine adverts, digital advertising, a dedicated website, significant PR activity and comprehensive social media activity. The police van is yet another way that we are driving the message home to Islanders and we are delighted that the States of Jersey Police are supporting us. It’s the first time that we, the JFSC, have done a campaign of this nature and if, through the publicity, we can stop just one local investor from losing their life savings then it has been very much worth doing.”

Similarly to the JFSC, the States of Jersey Police see first-hand the devastating consequences investment mis-selling can have on Islanders.

Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner added:
“The States of Jersey Police are very pleased to be supporting this important campaign. The consequences of investment mis-selling can devastate lives, and whilst not all instances necessarily step into the criminal arena, we have seen for ourselves in criminal investigations locally the destruction this can cause. Investment mis-selling can wipe out your savings and your future financial security, and perhaps that of your family. If in doubt, check, ask, and then check and ask again until you’re completely comfortable with what you’re doing.”

To deliver the campaign, the JFSC has partnered with the Personal Finance Society (PFS), the professional body for the UK financial planning profession.

Now in its second week, the aim of the campaign is to offer guidance to Islanders in the hope that local investors will be better armed to protect their own best interests.

Additional Information
The branded police van will be available to film / photograph on Wednesday 25 January at 10:00. Detective Chief Inspector Lee Turner and JFSC Director General John Harris will also be available for interview. The Personal Finance Society (PFS) is the professional body for the financial advisory profession in the UK. It has over 36,000 members, including professionals in Jersey. The PFS’s mission is to lead the financial planning community towards higher levels of professionalism, exhibited through ethical and behavioural standards, and skills and technical knowledge to the ultimate benefit of the profession and consumers alike, engendering confidence and trust in the financial advisory profession. Its purpose is to 'secure and justify the confidence of the public'. The PFS is a not-for-profit organisation with member-led governance. It was granted its Royal Charter in 1912 and is part of the CII Group, which is the leading professional body for the global financial services profession with over 100,000 members in 150 countries.