Police have warned the public to be vigilant after a spate of scams involving people impersonating police officers were reported across the country – including in Stirling and Dunblane.
Between October 2021 and this month more than 30 reports have been received from members of the public, who have either been visited or contacted by individuals claiming to be Police Scotland officers.
In each incident, the victims were contacted by telephone by someone who claimed to be from a bank fraud department and advised that their bank account had been compromised. They were then asked to either transfer money remotely to another account online or attend at a bank and remove cash, which would later be collected by a police officer.
Not all of the attempts to trick vulnerable victims into handing over cash were successful, but a number of victims live across Forth Valley. Cases were recorded in Dunblane, Stirling and Falkirk.
Police Scotland says that more than £300,000 has been defrauded from victims and inquiries to identify those responsible are ongoing. Anyone with information is asked to come forward.
Police are offering advice to stop people falling victim to scammers and will be leafleting across Scotland to help educate communities on how police will engage with the public in person, over the phone and online.
Superintendent Hilary Sloan from the Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division said: “While there are a number of ways police officers may look to contact you, please be mindful of this scam and always be suspicious of any unexpected contact.
“If you receive such a call, or visit, ask for the officer’s details and which department they work for. If the contact is by telephone, hang up and if possible use a different phone to contact the police service via 101, where you will speak to genuine members of Police Scotland and can request police officer verification.
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“We began a national roll-out of new identification cards, which feature an up-to-date picture of the officer, along with other key information and various security enhancements that make them extremely difficult to replicate. This roll-out was started in October 2021 and all police officers should be able to provide this identification when carrying out legitimate police business.
“If you receive an email claiming to be from Police Scotland with a link to an external site to make a payment, this may also be fraudulent. Be aware of phishing scams and verify that any link provided is genuine. If you receive something claiming to be from us requesting any form of payment, contact us via 101 to investigate this matter before parting with your money.
“We are treating this ongoing scam with the utmost seriousness and have officers around the country pursuing various lines of inquiry.”
Those with information can contact Police Scotland via 101. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
In June last year, we told how an elderly Dunblane woman was conned out of £75,000 by a cold-hearted fraudster.
The 72-year-old fell victim to the despicable con artist the previous month who pretended to be a representative from the woman’s bank.
The woman was contacted via telephone by an unidentified fraudster claiming to be representing the bank. After gaining her trust, she was duped into transferring the large sums of money into an account.
