Remember Coopers & Lybrand? It was one of the predecessor firms that merged with Price Waterhouse in 1998 to form the global network of PricewaterhouseCoopers. It has now been over a decade since Coopers & Lybrand existed, but according to the UK’s Financial Services Authority and PwC itself, certain individuals are now playing off of the name in an effort to sell shares in companies.

The FSA issued an alert about individuals claiming to be from an organization called “Coopers & Lybrand Law” and using the website “www.cooperslybrandlaw.com.”  It said that the entity was not associated with PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC). PwC also issued a press release stating that individuals purporting to be from an organization calling itself “Coopers & Lybrand Law”

have been approaching potential investors to sell or buy shares in certain companies which we believe are worthless. There is no law firm called ‘Coopers & Lybrand Law’. This organisation is using the ‘Coopers & Lybrand’ name without our consent and such use is illegal and infringes our intellectual property rights.

PwC added that it no longer uses the ‘Coopers & Lybrand’ name or brand.

The Coopers & Lybrand Law website is fairly robust, and states that its lawyers are “skilled business lawyers” who have “spent the last 25 years guiding the business ventures of small business owners and aspiring entrepreneurs throughout the World.” It gives both a Manhattan and Singapore address for the firm, but does not seem to provide the names of any individuals.

As CFO Zone noted here, another red flag may be the large picture of a U.S. coin on the front of the firm’s website. The coin is dated 1870, but Coopers & Lybrand was founded in 1898.