Stagecoach Shares - phone scam?

KTM_Gordo

Earlier this evening I got a phone call out of the blue offering to buy my shares in Stagecoach Group. Now I do hold some of these, but in a nominee account so my name is not on the share register.

From talking to the chap on the phone, who had what sounded like an Indian accent, he was offering between £6 and £12 for each of my shares which is a lot more than their current market value.

Apparently he got my details, including my home phone number, from the share register (Fib!).

The number showing on my phone was "011003".

I asked him to send me more information, but he refused. He wouldn't tell me who he was calling from other than to say it was in connection with a hostile takeover and until I signed a non-disclosure agreement he couldn't tell me any more or send me details of his firm. Or apparently answer any questions from me.

This is the second time I've received a call like this, also about Stagecoach shares, but searching the Internet hasn't turned up anything.

It all sounds very fishy to me - stay alert!

Anyone else had calls like this?

quish

I have been getting similar calls from someone telling me they are calling from Canada and work for a company called Goldman and Lyle they say that I have some shares in a company called New Spark Media and that they are worth between £6 and £12 also asking me to sign a none disclosure document, thing is I sold those shares many years ago, I can only assume it's a scam,they call me every day. just waiting to see what will will happen

MoneySaverLog

:eek::eek::eek::eek: Sounds like a B O I L E R R O O M :eek::eek::eek::eek::eek:

financial_illiterate

I thought a boiler room pressured you to buy? This sounds more like old fashioned phone scamming to me.

JonnyBravo

SCAM.

Anything like this will be a scam.

No doubt you'll be required to pay some kind of fee.
Hang up on them
If it sounds too good to be true it's cos it is.

dunstonh

What you describe is one of the most common share scams going. It is usually followed up with a requirement to send them some money first. Usually to an overseas address but the FSA have put on their scams list that some are using UK banks.

chris_m

KTM_Gordo wrote: »

Anyone else had calls like this?

Might have done, I wouldn't know.

Any calls that don't have a recognised (by me) caller display number or, especially, flagged as international go straight to my answering machine. I have yet to have a cold caller actually leave a message, in most cases the calling system detects the answering machine and terminates the call before it even gets passed to an agent.

It's a great system which has served me well for years - I just wish I could get my elderly father trained to do likewise :mad:

ChopperST

chris_m wrote: »

Might have done, I wouldn't know.

Any calls that don't have a recognised (by me) caller display number or, especially, flagged as international go straight to my answering machine. I have yet to have a cold caller actually leave a message, in most cases the calling system detects the answering machine and terminates the call before it even gets passed to an agent.

It's a great system which has served me well for years - I just wish I could get my elderly father trained to do likewise :mad:

I wish they'd do this with our machine, come home from work and usually have 4-5 messages of silence!

thenudeone

KTM_Gordo wrote: »

he was offering between £6 and £12 for each of my shares which is a lot more than their current market value.

This is enough on its own to make this a definite scam.

Why would anyone but shares from a private individual at more than the price offered by a stockbroker? Answer - They wouldn't.

KTM_Gordo

I work in the industry, so know exactly what the score is - I was posting it more to find out if anyone else had received calls (I'm concerned where they got my details from because it's not where they say they got it from).

Why anyone would buy anything from someone who phones out of the blue (or knocks at their door) is beyond me.

Yamcit

I had one of these calls yesterday evening. I got my Stagecoach shares free when I worked for them many years ago and have taken no notice of them at all. I receive an occasional cheque and letter and that's about all.

So, yesterday evening I got what seems to be the standard call: working for a client who is looking to do a hostile take over; will pay between £7 and £15 per share; got 41% of shares so only need another 10% (i.e. hurry up); takeover client does not want the business, only wants the assets etc.

The man on the phone also had an apparent Indian accent but explained that before the transaction could take place both sides would have to pay an 'insurance bond' into an escrow account (he explained it was 'like buying a house in the UK' - everything goes to a 3rd party before the exchange). After the call I was emailed a Non-Disclosure aggreement which gave a company name of Mullen Cheecks Consulting group www mullencheecksconsulting dot com.

The amount I know about shares would not trouble the average postage stamp so I have been asking people all day if they know anything about it - I would like to thank you for posting here so that a friend could recommed it and I may have been saved a great deal of anguish.

If anyone would like me to send them a copy of the email and agreement I would be more than happy.

Thank you all