Alliance Trust alerts FSA over share scam

Alliance Trust has alerted the Financial Services Authority (FSA) after a number of its shareholders received bogus telephone calls purporting to buy shares at double the market value.

The group said a number of investors who hold shares in their own name, rather than through a nominee account, have received telephone calls from an organisation claiming to be looking to acquire shares in Alliance Trust. The fake calls ask investors to confirm their interest by making payments to the fraudsters, or by sending over copies of their share certificates. Alliance Trust said in a statement: "We have alerted the FSA to the issue. Calls offering payment well in excess of the price of our shares on the London stock market are almost invariably scams designed to extract cash o...