Hot stock tips may be scam

Iowans who find what appears to be a hot stock tip on their answering machines likely shouldn’t call their brokers — they should call the authorities. Davenport resident Mike Sear says an unusual message left on his voicemail prompted him to call the police. The Davenport police said they’d already gotten several similar calls about the suspicious message and told Sear to call the Fraud Division of the Iowa Attorney General’s office. People in that office educated Sear about the popular con.He says it’s a scam going around where con artists try to build up the price of a stock and then dump their shares at a profit. The voicemail was from a woman who said her name was Rebecca — nobody Sear knew — and she mentioned several stock “ticker” symbols in which he should invest quickly.Authorities say Iowans who get such a call or message should report it or just delete it, but don’t act on the tips.