Trinidad and Tobago’s top financial oversight body has sounded an urgent alarm over a growing scam involving counterfeit identification cards that fraudulently claim affiliation with three of the nation’s leading financial and law enforcement agencies. The Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (FIUTT) confirmed that scammers are now circulating fake ID cards that bear the official logos of the FIUTT itself, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT), and the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.
According to the official public notice released by the FIUTT, these forged credentials falsely label their bearers as “Financial Analyst Supervisors” and legitimate representatives of the three mentioned agencies. The FIUTT has emphasized in clear terms that these identification documents are entirely fraudulent, created without any official authorization, and hold no legal validity whatsoever.
In an official statement, the agency clarified: “Neither the FIUTT, the CBTT nor the FIB issues identification cards of this nature. This so-called identification card is 100% fake, unapproved and invalid for any official purpose.” The unit further stressed that any person presenting these counterfeit credentials has no legal authority to carry out official business, launch formal enquiries, or act on behalf of any of the three agencies named on the cards.
As an additional critical reminder to the public, the FIUTT noted that the agency itself never charges service fees or requests any form of payment from individual members of the public or private businesses as part of its regular regulatory and investigative operations. Any demand for payment coming from an individual claiming to represent the unit is an immediate red flag for fraudulent activity.
To protect residents from falling victim to this scam, the FIUTT is urging all members of the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid sharing any money, sensitive personal information, or confidential financial details with anyone who presents these counterfeit identification cards.
For anyone who encounters individuals using these fake IDs or spots the counterfeit cards themselves, the FIUTT has advised that an immediate report should be filed to any of the three relevant official bodies: the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the FIUTT headquarters, or the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. The agency has also encouraged all citizens to proactively verify the legitimacy of any person or program that claims connection to the FIUTT, CBTT, or FIB by reaching out directly through verified official communication channels, rather than trusting credentials presented by unknown individuals.