Beware scammers targetting people about their shares

QYESTERDAY, I was phoned by someone who said his name was John Stone. I had no idea who he was, especially as he asked if I had been receiving the regular reports his firm had sent out. I was confused as I did not know what he was talking about. He then mentioned BT so I asked what he had to do with that company.

He said his firm collected information from BT and sent it out to shareholders. He wanted to check that I was still getting these reports and if he had my address correctly. He quoted the right address.

He put the phone down as I attempted to find out more – I tried 1471 and it came up as “number withheld”.

What is this about? How does this person get my details and know I have BT shares (if only a handful)?

ATheresa B

YOUR mystery caller hoped to discuss BT shares with you. Then the most likely scenario – had the call continued – would be that you would be persuaded to sell your shares through the calling company and re-invest the proceeds.

The alternative investment would not have been a household name but rather a high-risk company or scheme you will never have heard of. The caller’s bosses are almost certainly associated with this investment and you will almost certainly lose your money.

Your caller only identified his firm by initials – these could apply to many organisations.

BT says: “We’ll never ask customers for personal information unexpectedly and we’ll never call from an ‘unknown’ number.” So this is a scam call on at least two counts. BT says you should report this to Action Fraud – 0300 123 2040.

It is easy enough to find out your personal details from shareholder lists as all are public documents. Then it’s simple to find your phone number, whether you are ex-directory or in the listing.

And, as this is an illegal approach, you can forget protection from any of the new rules about data protection (GDPR) which started in late May. Nike Pro Combat tennis elbow band 2.0, WAS £8, NOW £6, SAVE £2, prodirectsoccer.com