The Central Bank is warning investors to be aware that Motoyagi and Associates (Japan) is not authorised in Ireland.

In a statement, the regulator said that Motoyagi and Associates is not authorised by the Central Bank as an investment firm, investment business firm or to provide investment advice.

It is a criminal offence for an unauthorised firm/person to provide financial services in Ireland that would require an authorisation under the relevant legislation, and anyone who deals with such a firm, is not eligible for compensation from the Investor Compensation Scheme

If you have information on this, or any other firm which may be unauthorised to operate in Ireland, you can contact the Central Bank on (01) 224 4000.

You can also check a list of unauthorised firms/persons on the Central Bank website. Since the start of the year, the regulator has issued warnings on 11 investment firms.