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The Bloomberg story is unequivocal: a $12.5bn bid is on the way for Gold Fields, the iconic South African gold miner, from Edward Pastorini. The newswire has even seen documentation backing up the plan.

Who, the shout went up? Who is this character, Edward Pastorini, a financier with the wherewithall to lead that size of bid, with unspecified other members of a group supposedly including rival mining companies?

Within a couple of hours of the story breaking on Wednesday Gold Fields chief executive Ian Cockerill said that he was aware of such a bid rumour, which had sent the company’s shares soaring 9 per cent at one stage, but added that the firm had not been approached.

But Pastorini? Still no sign of him.

The references online are few. One Edward Pastorini, found via Google, was a lighthouse keeper at the Saugerties Light Station in 1950.

Something doesn’t smell right, to us here at FT Alphaville. But Helen Thomas, a crossword-lover, happened to notice one more thing:

Edward Pastorini - the letters also happen to form “Top Insider Award.”

We make no comment - but would the real Edward Pastorini please get in touch? Sharpish.