Staff at Abrdn have been told to be cautious should they receive any communication from former co-CEO Martin Gilbert.
According to The Times, the warning to staff came after employees received Whatsapp messages from hackers pretending to be Gilbert (pictured).
At least one of the exchanges resulted in a phone call, prompting the Edinburgh-based company to ask staff to remain vigilant and not to divulge any business-sensitive information.
In an internal email seen by The Times, the company said it had “seen an increase in impersonation over WhatsApp, but this will also apply to Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and other contact methods”.
The email added: “External parties are either sending fake messages or attempting to contact and engage with Abrdn colleagues as a known and trusted party.
“Recently this has included a spate of WhatsApp messages purportedly, but not, from Martin Gilbert. Please do not engage with these messages and report (and block) these messages.”
Gilbert left Standard Life Aberdeen in May 2020, just prior to its rebrand to Abrdn. Following his departure, he led a consortium of investors to acquire a significant stake in Assetco, transforming the fire engine lease firm into an asset management consolidator. Already Assetco has acquired significant stakes in Rize ETF and Parmenion, as well as scooped up Edinburgh boutique Saracen Fund Managers.
See also: Assetco lands buy rating from Numis
