Help and support

If you get cold-called, the safest thing to do is to hang up. If you get unexpectedly contacted by email, you should send the email, as an attachment, to the genuine firm’s fraud team, or ignore it.

Fraudsters are persistent. Beware of anyone who calls you repeatedly or anyone who tries to keep you on the phone for long periods of time.

A genuine bank or organisation will never ask for these types of personal details. Never give them if prompted.

Never give your personal details out if it is not for a service you want or if you feel at all suspicious about the authenticity of the call.

If an investment sounds too good to be true then it probably is. Trust your instinct and do not proceed.

If you are told not to worry about the risks and that the investment is safe, don’t simply accept that it is true. Challenge it and do not proceed if you feel uncertain.

If you are told the offer is only available to you, or you are asked not to tell anyone else about the opportunity, this is a sign that it is not genuine. Do not engage in any further communication.

If you are told it is a time-limited offer or you are offered a bonus or discount if you invest before a set date, do not be pressured into acting quickly – a genuine bank or investment firm won’t mind giving you time to think.

Fraudsters will attempt to create what appears to be a legitimate email from an organisation like Baillie Gifford. Often the email will encourage you to click on a link. This may take you to a cloned website or install a computer virus.

Fraudulent email addresses often have spelling errors or numbers in the email address. Our email address format is: xxx@bailliegifford.com

Forward suspicious phishing emails to the UK's National Cyber Security Centre’s (NCSC) Suspicious Email Reporting Service: report@phishing.gov.uk (Note this email is not for reporting crimes)

If you have received an email claiming to be from Baillie Gifford which you believe may be fraudulent please send this to enquiries@bailliegifford.com by attaching it to a new email (rather than forwarding) and we will be happy to investigate and confirm if the contact is genuine.

Our website should include our website address format, https: and the padlock icon in the top left of the URL.

Check a firm is genuine using FCA’s ScamSmart website or the Financial Services Register

Check the FCA’s website for information on unauthorised firms overseas

Visit the FCA’s warning list

Fraudsters can telephone you and try to obtain personal information.

If you do receive a telephone call, it is best to hang up or end the call.

Please contact our Client Relations team if you receive a telephone call from someone claiming to be from Baillie Gifford which you believe may be fraudulent.

Fraudsters may claim to be representatives or employees of Baillie Gifford contacting people via social media platforms (Facebook, Instagram and X (formerly Twitter)) or the instant messaging service WhatsApp in an attempt to sell investment shares or Bitcoin.

Please be advised that these individuals are in no way affiliated with Baillie Gifford or any of our representatives. Baillie Gifford will never contact you from a personal account or ask for your personal or financial details. We will not solicit investment business with you directly via any of these channels.

If you notice any suspicious activity from someone claiming to be from Baillie Gifford, we’d advise reporting this individual to the social media platform’s help centre, and immediately blocking the account or individual.

If you need any further advice, please contact our contact our Client Relations Team.

Boiler room scams involve receiving a cold call, email or letter from an individual claiming to work for a company that offers to buy or sell your shares at an extremely inflated price. They may say that they are part of a ‘takeover’ of one of our trusts or funds. The scammers can find out that you have a holding by viewing publicly available shareholder lists. They will often apply high-pressure tactics to get information from you and advise that there is a tight deadline to take advantage of their offer.

If you are contacted in this way, please do not give the fraudster any information and immediately end the call. If the call is regarding a share certificate holding that you have in one of our trusts, you may wish to report the attempt to Computershare Investor Services who are the Registrar for our trusts. Details of the telephone numbers for the relevant teams are below.

Baillie Gifford China Growth Trust – 0370 707 1410
Baillie Gifford European Growth Trust – 0370 889 4086
Baillie Gifford Japan Trust – 0370 889 3221
Baillie Gifford Shin Nippon Trust – 0370 889 3223
Baillie Gifford UK Growth Fund – 0370 702 0000
Baillie Gifford US Growth Trust – 0370 702 0000
Scottish American Investment Company – 0370 707 1282
Scottish Mortgage Investment Company – 0370 707 1300
Pacific Horizon Investment Trust – 0370 707 1229
Monks Investment Trust – 0370 707 1170
Edinburgh Worldwide Investment Trust – 0370 707 1643

View the FCA’s information on boiler room scams.

Keep log-in details secure by never sharing them with others. Use passwords that you can remember, make them difficult for others to guess and never write them down.

Stop: Thinking before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.

Challenge: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.

Protect: Contact your investment manager immediately if you think you’ve been defrauded and report it to Action Fraud. Speak to your bank as soon as possible if you believe you have transferred money to a criminal.