Communication

WARNING TO SHAREHOLDERS

Boiler room scams

September 2011

Please be aware that there have been reports recently from A.G. BARR shareholders who have received unsolicited telephone calls from what are believed to be fraudulent companies, usually from the USA, offering to buy A.G. BARR shares. We suspect the calls are advanced fee fraud scams and A.G. BARR would like to remind its shareholders to remain cautious at all times.

The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has reported a rise in the number of enquiries they have received relating to share scams. The "boiler room" scam has developed over recent years and there has been an increase in reports of overseas fraudsters contacting shareholders offering to sell and buy their shares using the names, registration numbers and addresses of authorised firms and individuals in an attempt to convince consumers of their legitimacy.

Last year, the FSA received almost 5,000 calls from people who believed they were victims of boiler room fraud. Unfortunately, about 20% of these people had already paid money to the fraudsters.

It is not just the novice investor who has been duped in this way; many of the victims had been successfully investing for several years. Shareholders are advised to be very wary of any unsolicited advice, offers to buy or sell shares at a discount or offers of free company reports.

If you receive any unsolicited investment advice:

make sure you get the correct name of the person and the organisation
check that they are properly authorised by the FSA before getting involved by visiting www.fsa.gov.uk/register/
contact the firm using the details on the register and
report the matter to the FSA either by calling 0845 606 1234 or visiting www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/consumerinformation
if the calls persist, hang up

If you deal with an unauthorised firm, you will not be eligible to receive payment under the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. The FSA can be contacted by completing an online form at http://www.fsa.gov.uk/Pages/Doing/Regulated/Law/Alerts/form.shtml

More detailed information on this or similar activity can be found on the FSA’s Consumer Information section at www.fsa.gov.uk/pages/consumerinformation