| Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384851] |
Do, 04 Mai 2006 17:47 |
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Over the last week I have been getting cold-call 'phone calls which
refer to me by my name and the fact that I have some shares in BP. (If
only they knew how few!)
The callers offer to provide me with lots of gen on BP if I agree to
answer some questions about myself.
When I question them hard, the callers admit that they are calling
from the USA... (They better had be, because I have swiched on the "No
callers, please" service in UK).
However, if they are in the USA, why do some of the callers have very
British accents, while others are certainly New York!
What are they trying to sell me or get me to do? Worse still what are
they trying to steal from me?
Thingy,
PS... Could UK based people be using VOIP to route thru' the USA so as
to avoid the UK rules and maybe even the FSA?
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384852 ] |
Do, 04 Mai 2006 17:54 |
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ephraim_pule [at] hotmail.com wrote:
> However, if they are in the USA, why do some of the callers have very
> British accents, while others are certainly New York!
Don't know - but I regard my brother as having a thick US accent (he has
lived/worked in Detroit for nearly 30 years) but his co-workers love his
English accent.
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384871 ] |
Do, 04 Mai 2006 21:42 |
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On 4 May 2006 08:47:17 -0700, ephraim_pule [at] hotmail.com wrote:
>Over the last week I have been getting cold-call 'phone calls which
>refer to me by my name and the fact that I have some shares in BP. (If
>only they knew how few!)
>The callers offer to provide me with lots of gen on BP if I agree to
>answer some questions about myself.
>
>When I question them hard, the callers admit that they are calling
>from the USA... (They better had be, because I have swiched on the "No
>callers, please" service in UK).
>
>However, if they are in the USA, why do some of the callers have very
>British accents, while others are certainly New York!
>
>What are they trying to sell me or get me to do? Worse still what are
>they trying to steal from me?
>
>Thingy,
>
>PS... Could UK based people be using VOIP to route thru' the USA so as
>to avoid the UK rules and maybe even the FSA?
It's almost certainly a boiler shop, and they could be somewhere like
Thailand. Tell them to get lost. You will find that they are not
authorised to do business in the UK if you check on the FSA web site.
--
Terry Harper
URL: http://www.btinternet.com/~terry.harper/
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384875 ] |
Do, 04 Mai 2006 22:56 |
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ephraim_pule [at] hotmail.com wrote:
> PS... Could UK based people be using VOIP to route thru' the USA so as
> to avoid the UK rules and maybe even the FSA?
With VOIP, your telephone number could come up as anything you want. My
VOIP line comes up as a local number (to where I am at the moment). If I
unplugged the box, I could take it anywhere in the world with a fast enough
connection, and it will still come up with the same number.
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384882 ] |
Fr, 05 Mai 2006 00:05 |
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<ephraim_pule [at] hotmail.com> wrote in message
<
> What are they trying to sell me or get me to do? Worse still what are
> they trying to steal from me?
It's most probably some boiler room operation trying to size you up, they're
trying to find out if you have assets and whether you're impressionable. I
just tell such people that I'm not interested and they know that you know
what they're up to and they move on to their next contract.
I presume they obtain details from the register of shareholders?
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384910 ] |
Fr, 05 Mai 2006 12:36 |
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ephraim_pule [at] hotmail.com wrote:
> Over the last week I have been getting cold-call 'phone calls which
> refer to me by my name and the fact that I have some shares in BP. (If
> only they knew how few!)
> The callers offer to provide me with lots of gen on BP if I agree to
> answer some questions about myself.
[snip]
They've probably got a copy of the BP share register and are
cold-calling. If they're not in the UK, there's not you can do in
regard to complain about receiving cold calls, although in the US,
complaining to the local chamber of commerce can sometimes make a
difference if they get several complaints (this was the case with a
cruise holiday company making cold calls from Florida). Even if the
call was from within Europe (non-UK), there's little that can be done,
even though the legislation for the TPS is based on an EU directive.
If they happen to say that they are calling from the US on behalf of a
UK company - as some of these outfits do - you can make a complaint
about the UK based company - if you can get details.
Don't answer their questions.
Allan
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #384912 ] |
Fr, 05 Mai 2006 13:17 |
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Allan Gould wrote:
> Don't answer their questions.
Tell them that they haven't made an appointment to speak to you.
Offer to make one, and tell them what your fee will be, and that
advance payment is required before the appointment can be confirmed.
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| Re: Phone calls from USA about BP shares [message #385010 ] |
Sa, 06 Mai 2006 12:49 |
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In message <4c0o5tF13vabuU1 [at] individual.net>, Allan Gould
<invalid [at] invalid.invalid> writes
>They've probably got a copy of the BP share register and are
>cold-calling. If they're not in the UK, there's not you can do in
>regard to complain about receiving cold calls, although in the US,
>complaining to the local chamber of commerce can sometimes make a
>difference if they get several complaints (this was the case with a
>cruise holiday company making cold calls from Florida). Even if the
>call was from within Europe (non-UK), there's little that can be done,
>even though the legislation for the TPS is based on an EU directive.
>
>If they happen to say that they are calling from the US on behalf of a
>UK company - as some of these outfits do - you can make a complaint
>about the UK based company - if you can get details.
>
>Don't answer their questions.
Or provide completely fabricated answers, eg: tell them all
correspondence is dealt with by your secretary Mrs Windsor at SW1A 1AA.
Lately I just clam up completely and listen to them going 'hello ... can
you hear me?' and then, thinking something is wrong with the line they
hang up.
--
Timothy
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