RBS 2012 Annual Report Download - page 520

518
Shareholder information
Shareholder enquiries continued
Share fraud warning
Share fraud includes scams where investors are called out of the blue
and offered shares that often turn out to be worthless or non-existent, or
an inflated price for shares they own. These calls come from fraudsters
operating in ‘boiler rooms’ that are mostly based abroad. While high
profits are promised, those who buy or sell shares in this way usually lose
their money. The Financial Services Authority (FSA) has found most
share fraud victims are experienced investors who lose an average of
£20,000, with around £200 million lost in the UK each year.
Protect yourself
If you are offered unsolicited investment advice, discounted shares, a
premium price for shares you own, or free company or research reports,
you should take these steps before handing over any money;
x get the name of the person and organisation contacting you;
x check the FSA Register at www.fsa.gov.uk/fsaregister to ensure
they are authorised;
x use the details on the FSA Register to contact the firm;
x call the FSA Consumer Helpline on 0845 606 1234 if there are no
contact details on the Register or you are told they are out of date;
x search the FSA’s list of unauthorised firms and individuals to avoid
doing business with; and
x remember if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
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 (FSCS) if things go wrong.
Report a scam
If you are approached about a share scam you should tell the FSA using
the share fraud reporting form at www.fsa.gov.uk/scams, where you can
find out about the latest investment scams. You can also call the
Consumer Helpline on 0845 606 1234. If you have already paid money to
share fraudsters you should contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
Analyses of ordinary shareholders
At 31 December 2012 Shareholdings
Number
of shares
- millions %
Individuals 206,589 128.8 2.1
Banks and nominee companies 13,320 5,837.9 96.2
Investment trusts 117 3.9 0.1
Insurance companies 136 0.5 —
Other companies 851 24.7 0.4
Pension trusts 32 2.1 —
Other corporate bodies 395 72.9 1.2
221,440 6,070.8 100.0
Range of shareholdings:
1 - 1,000 191,185 48.5 0.8
1,001 - 10,000 28,382 65.1 1.1
10,001 - 100,000 1,212 33.0 0.5
100,001 - 1,000,000 444 150.3 2.5
1,000,001 - 10,000,000 179 559.6 9.2
10,000,001 and over 38 5,214.3 85.9
221,440 6,070.8 100.0