LONDON (Bloomberg) ? Langbar International Ltd., a Bermuda- based investment company that said last week it probably was a victim of a scam, will be investigated by the Serious Fraud Office after police gathered information on the case.

The City of London Police had passed on details to the Serious Fraud Office on October 31, the SFO said last week. Langbar, whose shares were suspended last month, said in a November 25 statement that it likely was the target of a ?serious? fraud.

The company had appointed risk consulting firm Kroll Associates UK Ltd. earlier this year to verify cash deposits of about ?370 million ($639 million) with Banco do Brasil SA and a unit of ABN Amro Holding NV.

Kroll reported that it wasn?t able to verify Langbar?s entitlement to any of the relevant assets, prompting the investment firm to inform the police.

Langbar invests in companies where its managers see possibilities for restructuring, refinancing or expansion, as well as overseeing property holdings, according to the firm?s website.

The company, which had net assets of ?360 million as of June 30, was forced to drop the acquisition of marketing company Real Affinity Plc because of the fraud.

The Serious Fraud Office assesses cases by looking at such things as whether the value of the alleged fraud exceeds ?1 million, the international ramifications and if there would be widespread public concern, press officer Jina Roe said today.

Angeline Burton, head of communications at the City of London Police, declined to comment beyond the fraud office?s statement.

?We have received a report in relation to this matter and it has been referred to the Serious Fraud Office,? she said.

Shares of Langbar, which trade on London?s Alternative Investment Market, leapt 66 percent on September 6 after the company said it had transferred money to Europe from Latin America ?after protracted and detailed negotiations.?

The company said in a statement that day it had moved $294 million to an account at ABN Amro in the Netherlands, while the remaining funds in Brazil, about $370 million, would be invested in European real estate.