Alongside checking that you verify they are FCA authorised on the official register, one of the single best practical defences against a bad pension transfer decision is remarkably simple: ask direct, specific questions, and pay close attention to how they're answered. A genuine, regulated adviser expects scrutiny and will welcome it as a normal part of doing business properly; anyone who reacts badly to being questioned, tries to brush past a question, or makes you feel awkward for asking, is showing you something important about how they'll treat you if a problem arises later. This guide sets out the questions worth asking before you agree to transfer any pension, why each one matters, and how a legitimate adviser typically responds.

Why asking direct questions works so well as a defence

Pension scams generally rely on momentum: keeping a conversation moving forward, keeping you focused on the promised upside, and steering you away from anything that might introduce doubt or delay. A well-chosen, specific question breaks that momentum. It forces a pause, requires a precise answer rather than a reassuring generality, and — crucially — is very hard for someone without a genuine, well-prepared case to answer convincingly more than once or twice in a row. Genuine advisers, by contrast, are used to exactly this kind of scrutiny; explaining fees, risks, and reasoning clearly to clients is a routine, expected part of their job, backed by regulatory requirements to do so in plain, fair, and not misleading terms. If you notice a pattern of vague, deflecting, or irritated answers building up across several straightforward questions, treat that pattern itself as more informative than any single answer in isolation.

The core questions worth asking every time

The list below covers the ground that matters most before agreeing to any pension transfer. You don't need to ask them in a formal, interrogation-style way — working them naturally into an ordinary conversation is fine — but make sure each one gets a clear, specific answer before you sign anything or authorise any money to move.

Why a good adviser welcomes these questions

It's worth being clear about what a normal, healthy response to these questions looks like, since it's easy to assume any resistance at all must mean something is wrong — that isn't quite right either. A genuine adviser, asked any of the questions above, will typically respond calmly, specifically, and often in more detail than you asked for, because explaining themselves clearly is simply part of how they work and part of what regulation requires of them. They'll usually welcome the chance to put things in writing, since a clear written record protects them just as much as it protects you if a dispute arises later. Many will proactively suggest you take time, seek a second opinion, or speak to Pension Wise before committing, precisely because they aren't worried about losing you to a moment's reflection. The contrast with a scam approach tends to be obvious once you're looking for it: patience and thoroughness on one side, and pressure, vagueness, or irritation on the other.

Reading the reaction, not just the answer

Sometimes the content of an answer sounds reasonable, but the reaction to being asked is itself the more telling signal. Watch for irritation or defensiveness at being questioned at all, a sudden change of subject or a pivot back to the benefits of the opportunity, subtle (or not so subtle) suggestions that you're being difficult, over-cautious, or "letting a good opportunity slip away," and any pressure to decide before you've had a chance to think it over or discuss it with anyone else. None of these reactions, on their own, proves anything conclusively — people have bad days, and even genuine professionals can occasionally sound impatient. But a pattern of these reactions across more than one or two questions is a considerably stronger signal than any single moment, and it's reasonable to treat that pattern as sufficient reason to pause, seek a second opinion, or walk away entirely.

It's completely reasonable to take your time, or simply say no

Perhaps the single most important thing to remember through all of this is that you never need to justify taking time, seeking a second opinion, or declining an offer outright. A pension transfer decision is significant and, in most cases, difficult or impossible to fully reverse once it's been carried out — there is essentially never a genuine reason why a legitimate opportunity can't wait a week, a month, or however long you need to feel comfortable. Saying "I need to think about this," "I want to check this with Pension Wise first," or simply "no" requires no further explanation and is never something you owe an apology for, regardless of how the conversation has gone up to that point. If a firm or individual makes you feel that hesitation, caution, or a straightforward "no" is somehow unreasonable, treat that reaction as one of the clearest signals available that something isn't right, and step away.

Follow-up questions worth keeping in your back pocket

Beyond the seven core questions, a handful of follow-up questions are worth having ready, particularly if you're weighing up a more complex transfer, such as moving out of a defined benefit scheme, or into an unfamiliar type of investment. Ask specifically what happens to any guarantees your current scheme provides — a defined benefit pension, for example, typically comes with a guaranteed income for life, often index-linked, that simply doesn't exist in the same form once transferred elsewhere; a genuine adviser should be able to set out clearly what you'd be giving up, in pounds and pence terms where possible, not just what you'd be gaining. Ask, too, what professional indemnity insurance the firm holds, since this is what would potentially compensate you if the advice itself turned out to be negligent — a firm that can't answer this clearly, or seems unfamiliar with the concept, is worth treating with real caution. It's also reasonable to ask who regulates the specific scheme or product you'd be transferring into, since regulation can vary considerably between a mainstream pension product and a more niche or overseas arrangement, and the answer should be specific rather than a vague assurance that "everything is above board." Finally, ask directly whether the adviser or firm receives any commission, fee, or other benefit tied specifically to this transfer going ahead — a truthful answer here helps you judge whether the recommendation is genuinely built around your interests or partly around theirs, and a reluctant or evasive response to this particular question is often especially revealing.

What if you don't get satisfactory answers

If you work through these questions and the answers feel vague, inconsistent, evasive, or simply don't add up, trust that reaction rather than talking yourself out of it. You are entitled to a second opinion from another regulated adviser, from a friend or family member with relevant experience, or from MoneyHelper's free Pension Wise guidance, and seeking one is never something you need to apologise for or justify to the person you're currently speaking with. It's worth writing down, as soon as possible after the conversation, exactly what was asked and how it was answered — memory fades and can be talked around later, whereas a contemporaneous note is much harder to dispute if the situation escalates. If the pattern of answers, combined with anything else you've noticed, starts to resemble the broader pattern covered in our guide to pension transfer red flags, that's a strong signal to stop the process entirely rather than proceeding cautiously — caution and continuing to engage are not the same thing, and with a pension transfer specifically, the safer default when in real doubt is almost always to pause rather than to push forward "just to see."

MoneyHelper's free, impartial Pension Wise service can talk through a pension transfer decision with you at no cost, before you commit to anything — it's specifically designed for exactly this kind of question, and using it doesn't cost you anything or commit you to any particular course of action.

Working through these questions takes very little time compared with the significance of the decision itself, and a genuine adviser will never begrudge you the few extra minutes it takes to ask them. Combine this habit with an independent search of the FCA register and a general awareness of the wider pension transfer red flags, and you'll have covered the practical ground that catches the overwhelming majority of problem transfers before any money actually moves.

A worked example: questions in practice

Consider David, who is approached about transferring his workplace pension into a new "flexible growth" scheme after receiving an unsolicited email. Rather than agreeing to a call straight away, he asks for the firm's FCA reference number by email first. The reply is slow, vague, and mentions only a "partner firm" rather than a direct number. When David presses and asks whether he can independently check that on the register himself, the tone of the reply shifts to mild irritation, suggesting he's "overcomplicating something simple." At this point, before any further questions about fees or risk are even needed, David already has enough information to stop the process — a reluctant, evasive answer to the most basic verification question, followed by irritation at being asked to check independently, is exactly the pattern this guide describes. Contrast this with Amara, who is considering a transfer recommended by an adviser her employer's pension scheme put her in touch with directly. When she asks the same questions — the FCA reference number, the fees involved, and whether the recommendation is in writing — the adviser answers immediately, provides a written suitability report unprompted within a few days, and explicitly encourages her to check the register herself and to take as long as she needs before deciding. Neither example proves anything about the underlying opportunity in isolation, but the pattern of how each question was received tells its own clear story, well before either David or Amara needed to weigh up the financial detail of what was actually being proposed.

If you take away only one thing from this guide, let it be this: the quality of the answers you receive to plain, ordinary questions tells you far more about whether to trust an adviser than the confidence, warmth, or polish of their overall pitch. Genuine expertise and genuine care for your outcome show up as patience with scrutiny, not as impatience with it.

It's worth keeping this whole approach in perspective, too. None of these questions are designed to be adversarial, and asking them doesn't require confrontation or suspicion in your tone — most can be woven naturally into a normal conversation, phrased as simple curiosity rather than a formal challenge. A genuine adviser is used to fielding exactly these kinds of questions from careful, sensible clients every week, and won't read anything unusual or accusatory into you asking them. What matters is that you do ask, that you note the answers, and that you give yourself permission to act on what those answers — and the manner in which they're given — actually tell you, rather than talking yourself out of a perfectly reasonable instinct because the conversation has otherwise felt pleasant or professional.