Boiler room scams: warning to investors

We would like to alert all shareholders in Octopus managed VCTs to the misuse of the Octopus name by third parties who claim to be connected to Octopus or our VCTs in some way.

We have been made aware of cases where shareholders have been contacted by:

  • Someone selling shares in companies which have little or no value, or may not even exist.
  • Someone offering to buy their shares at a higher price than their market value.

These types of scams are targeted at existing shareholders and will sound like attractive offers. The caller will often ask you to pay something upfront, such as a bond or other form of security which they claim you’ll receive back if the sale doesn’t go through. They may also ask you to sign a form preventing you disclosing details of the offer.

Please be aware: these are fraudulent scams and are in no way connected with Octopus or our VCTs. We will never cold call to obtain shares that you own, or to sell investments. If you are concerned about a call, letter or email you receive, which you believe to be suspicious, please call our customer service team on 0800 316 2295.

Where do they obtain your details?
Octopus will never pass details of its investors on to a third party without their permission. Unfortunately these scam companies take details from the VCT shareholder registers which are public documents kept by all companies, including VCTs.

Home telephone numbers are obtained from lists of telephone numbers that are for sale via the Internet.

Your rights to compensation
In many cases these share scam companies are based overseas, although some may provide provide details of a UK postal address and telephone number. What this means is that investors may have no right to complain or claim compensation since these companies are not authorised by the Financial Services Authority (FSA).

What should you do?
If you receive an unexpected call offering to acquire your shares, or sell you shares, particularly using high pressure tactics, please simply hang up the telephone. You may wish to check that anyone offering to sell you shares is registered with the FSA, but cold calls from companies offering to sell you shares are unlawful and should be reported to the FSA or the police.

Further information
If you have any questions about Octopus products or these share scams, please feel free to contact us on 0800 316 2295. Alternatively, more information is available from the FSA, including this video:

http://www.fsa.gov.uk/consumerinformation/scamsandswindles/investment_scams/boiler_room

http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/doing/regulated/law/alerts/form.shtml

http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Law/Alerts/unauthorised.shtml

http://www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/Doing/Regulated/Law/Alerts/overseas.shtml

Octopus Investments Ltd is authorised and regulated by the Financial Services Authority. Terms and Conditions of use. ©2012 Octopus Investments Ltd. All rights reserved.