The Bank of England is investigating the source of false emails which claimed that it was about to bar polluting firms from a £20bn stimulus scheme.
Threadneedle Street is looking into who sent a fake press release saying that it would no longer buy bonds issued by energy firms with high exposure to oil and coal.
The Bank has bought debt from a range of large companies to help cut their borrowing costs since 2016. It doubled the size of the scheme in March as Covid-19 struck the economy.
But the hoax email purportedly from the Bank - complete with convincing links to a fake web page - said it would exclude bonds issued by electricity and energy firms Òwith the highest exposure to oil and coalÓ to protect the taxpayer from losses on Òstranded assetsÓ.
The hoaxers said: ÒFollowing review from risk management staff, the Bank is updating the eligibility criteria of corporate bonds for monetary policy operations, starting with the exclusion of those which are most exposed to climate risk.Ó
No group or activist has so far come forward to claim responsibility, although a second fake email referring to Ònaughty culpritsÓ later revealed the hoax. Extinction Rebellion denied responsibility.
Bosses at Threadneedle Street have previously warned that the switch to green energy could create financial instability and land investors with multi-billion pound losses as drilling firms go bust.
A Bank spokesman said it was aware of the fake announcements and added: ÒThe Bank investigates any such misuse of its name and will consider further legal options to require groups which so misuse it to cease and desist.Ó
In 2017 former Governor Mark Carney fell victim to an email hoaxer known as Sinon Reborn who posed as Sir Anthony Hapgood, chairman of the BankÕs court.
