Warning as bank fraud scammers posing as police officers target Forth Valley
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Between October 2021 and January, over 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.
On each occasion, they were contacted by telephone from someone claiming to be from a bank fraud department and advised that their account had been compromised.
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Hide AdThey were then requested 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.
While not every attempt to extort money was successful, the scammers defrauded a number of victims across Forth Valley, and a number of other Scottish regions.
So far, they have taken over £300,000 from people.
Superintendent Hilary Sloan from Police Scotland’s Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division said: “We are treating this ongoing scam with the utmost seriousness and have officers around the country pursuing various lines of inquiry.
“If you receive such a call, or visit, ask for the officer’s details and which department they work for.
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Hide Ad“If the contact is by telephone, hang up and if possible use a different phone to contact the police via 101, where you will speak to genuine members of Police Scotland and can request officer verification.”Police Scotland has started a 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.
Added Superintendent Sloan: “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.
Those with information can contact Police Scotland via 101. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.