Employers should be wary of falling for a scam involving the sale of fake certificates that suggest they do not have workplace pension duties.

The Pensions Regulator (TPR) is investigating at least one company offering what it describes as “Certificates of Auto Enrolment Exemption” to employers.

A number of employers have been persuaded to pay for the documents, with the scammers claiming the paperwork means that the holders do not have any workplace pension duties. While employers have been charged £58 for the certificates, the documents are worthless – TPR does not produce or accept any such documents as evidence of automatic enrolment exemption. Employers can use TPR’s Duties Checker to understand exactly what they must do.