Charities Aid Foundation: FCA regulated?

On the register, but not FCA authorised

This firm is registered with the FCA for anti-money-laundering checks only, which is why it appears on the register. That is not authorisation: the FCA does not oversee how it treats customers, and FSCS protection does not apply.

Registered for 24 years
No FCA actions

What does this mean?

Some businesses are required by law to have an anti-money-laundering supervisor. For this kind of business that supervisor is the FCA, and the registration is the only reason the firm appears on the FCA register.
What the FCA checks is narrow: that the firm identifies its customers, keeps records, and reports suspicious activity. It is the anti-crime paperwork behind a bank asking you for ID.
It does not check anything about you as a customer. Not whether the firm treats you fairly, not whether it is financially sound, not whether what it sells is any good. The FCA describes firms registered this way as “not authorised or subject to wider FCA regulation”.
So if the firm fails or treats you badly, there is no FSCS compensation, and the Financial Ombudsman Service usually cannot look at a complaint about unregulated business.

Website, phone number and address

Compare these against whatever you were given. Scammers clone real firm names and reference numbers but use their own phone number and website, so a detail that does not match the register is the clearest warning sign there is.

Website

cafonline.org (opens in a new tab)
Phone number

0300 012 3088
Address

25 Kings Hill Avenue, Kings Hill, West Malling, Kent, ME19 4TA, United Kingdom

In the full report: 3 background checks

When cafonline.org first appeared online, and whether it can receive email
What kind of line 0300 012 3088 is
Who else gives the postcode ME19 4TA

Other names (2)

If you were contacted under any of these names, it is this firm.

CAF Trading name: A name it trades under now.
CAF Venturesome Trading name: A name it trades under now.

Past FCA permissions and consumer protection

Money-laundering registration only
This firm is registered for anti-money-laundering supervision only. It is not FCA-authorised. Money you hand over is not protected by the FSCS, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may not be able to consider a complaint about unregulated business.

FCA disciplinary action and complaints

No FCA disciplinary action.

The Financial Ombudsman Service only publishes complaint figures for firms with 30 or more new complaints in six months, so there are none here for this firm.

Key dates in its history

Charities Aid Foundation’s history from the FCA register and Companies House, newest first.

2008

7 April 2008

Began trading as "CAF Venturesome"
Began trading as "CAF"

FCA register

2002

29 April 2002

Registered with the FCA

FCA register

Director appointments and resignations, and trading names, appear under All events.

Firms connected to Charities Aid Foundation

Other FCA-listed firms that share a director, phone number or address with Charities Aid Foundation. A link shows who the firm is tied to, not whether either can be trusted.

connected firm: 1
share its postcode: 1

In the full report: the connected firm, named

How it is linked: the same postcode (1)
Who links it to this firm: the named directors, with dates

Get the full report on Charities Aid Foundation

Everything on this page, plus everything locked above, in one dated PDF you can keep, file or send on.

3 background checks on its contact details
All 3 events in its history
1 connected firm, named, and who links them

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Frequently asked questions about this firm

Is Charities Aid Foundation FCA authorised?

Charities Aid Foundation (FRN 211450) is registered with the FCA under the Money Laundering Regulations only. That is anti-money-laundering supervision, not FCA authorisation, and the FCA does not supervise the firm's conduct.

What is Charities Aid Foundation’s phone number and website?

The FCA register lists the phone number 0300 012 3088 and the website cafonline.org for Charities Aid Foundation. If you were given different contact details, use these to check with the firm before going any further.

Is Charities Aid Foundation a scam or clone?

Charities Aid Foundation is genuinely on the FCA's money-laundering register, so it is not an outright fake, but registration is not authorisation, and scammers impersonate registered firms too. Verify contact details against the register before sending money.

Is my money safe with Charities Aid Foundation?

Money you hand to Charities Aid Foundation is not protected by the FSCS. Money-laundering registration carries no compensation scheme, and the Financial Ombudsman Service may not be able to consider a complaint about unregulated business.

Does Charities Aid Foundation use any other names?

It trades as CAF and CAF Venturesome.