Some of the dodgy firms are attempting to scam consumers out of money on the basis of pretending to offer loans, with another cloning the name of well-known stockbroker Davy.

A number of the firms warned about are claiming offer comparisons on savings rates, but they are not registered with the Central Bank to provide such services.

The regulator warned that an entity called Davy Select Private had cloned the name, registered address and staff email addresses of a Central Bank authorised firm.

It said it was seeking to pass itself off as the legitimate firm, J&E Davy and its subsidiaries, in order to deceive consumers.

“It should be noted that there is no connection whatsoever between the Central Bank authorised firm and the fraudulent entity,” the Central Bank said.

The unauthorised operator is using emails such as info@davy.eu.com, and ones that include a staff member’s name followed by “@davy.holdings”.

Also warned about is a firm calling itself Worryfree Loans.

Worryfree Loans is not authorised to provide retail credit services or any other financial services in Ireland, the regulator said.

“This scam is an example of an ‘advanced fee fraud’, where a payment is sought upfront prior to providing a loan. The loans are never provided,” the warning notice states.

A similar warning about a loan scam was issued about Havbell DAC.

Six firms purporting to offer information and access to savings rates and investments here are not authorised to provide investment services or any other financial services in Ireland, the Central Bank said.

These include Eire Rates, European Deposits, Irish Investments, Euro Investor, Compare Fixed Investments and Irish Rates are not authorised to operate in this State.

Banks recently warned consumers to be on the alert for elaborate investment scams involving online and mobile banking transfers.

Figures from FraudSmart, the fraud awareness initiative led by the Banking and Payments Federation Ireland, showed 26pc increase in the incidence of fraud in the first six months of last year.

The frauds include romance, holiday or accommodation scams as well as investment scams, such as fake bonds.

The banks warned consumers to be on heightened alert for what they said are “highly sophisticated” variants of such scams.

Fraudsters have been known to use the names and branding of recognised banks and investment firms to draw in their victims.

Head of FraudSmart Niamh Davenport said: “In many of these investment scams, fraudsters hide behind websites, including product or investment comparison websites, which can appear to be legitimate.

“Consumers looking to invest, submit their details for more information and the fraudsters then call or follow up with an email, often including what looks like a high-end brochure.”

She said that once the victim has authorised the payment and the money has reached the criminal’s account, the criminal will quickly transfer the money onwards to numerous other accounts, often abroad, where it is then cashed out.