Shareholder centre
Unsolicited calls and correspondence to Severn Trent Plc Shareholders
It has been brought to our attention that increasingly, some of our Shareholders have received unsolicited correspondence and telephone calls from individuals or organisations that may be claiming or implying that they have some connection with Severn Trent Plc.
We advise Shareholders to treat calls with extreme caution as these individuals or organisations are not connected with Severn Trent Plc in any way and have no authority either to claim or imply that they are.
Such scams are typically coordinated by overseas based ‘brokers’ who target UK shareholders offering to sell them what often turns out to be worthless or high-risk shares in UK or overseas investments. You may also be approached by brokers offering to purchase your shares for an upfront payment in the form of a broker fee, tax payment or de-restriction fee, or may also be offered ‘investment opportunities’ via a third party whom they claim is ‘backed by Severn Trent’.
Such approaches are becoming increasingly sophisticated in order to draw shareholders into either giving over cash or to obtain their personal data.
Current scams we are aware of
A small number of Shareholders have been contacted by Burlington Brown (or a variation of that name). PLEASE BEWARE THIS IS A SCAM and the safest thing to do is to terminate the call. You should also report this contact to the FCA using the details below.
What to do if you receive suspect contact about shares in Severn Trent
If you are offered unsolicited investment advice, discounted shares, a premium price for shares you own, free company or research reports, or any other investment opportunities you should take these steps before handing over any personal data or money:
Obtain the name of the person and organisation contacting you.
Check the Financial Services Register to make sure the person or organisation you're talking to is authorised.
Use the details on the Financial Services Register to contact the firm.
Call the Financial Conduct Authority consumer helpline on 0800 111 6768 if there are no contact details on the Financial Services Register, or you are told they are out of date.
Search for the company on the FCA list of unauthorised firms and individuals
Make sure you're protected
If you use an unauthorised firm to buy or sell shares or other investments, you will not have access to the Financial Ombudsman Service or Financial Services Compensation Scheme if things go wrong.
You should report any suspicious contact you have from possible scammers to the FCA. You can also call the Consumer Helpline on 0800 111 6768.
If you have already provided personal data or paid money to share fraudsters, you should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
PLEASE NOTE: Details of any share dealing facilities that the Severn Trent Plc endorse will always be included in our correspondence with you and any investment opportunities (such as retail bonds) will be fully publicised on our website. If you cannot find details of an ‘opportunity to invest’ provided by a third party then it’s likely it is a scam. Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is!
Protecting yourself from unsolicited mail
To limit the amount of unsolicited mail you receive, you can register with the Mailing Preference Service or call the MPS Registration line on 0845 703 4599.
Alternatively please contact:
The Mailing Preference Service (MPS)
DMA House
70 Margaret Street
London
W1W 8SS
The Mailing Preference Service is an independent organisation which offers a free service to the public. Registering with them will help stop most unsolicited consumer advertising.
You can contact the Data and Marketing Association to restrict unsolicited telephone calls, faxes and emails.