Victims from Stirling and Dunblane duped in fake police scam that saw crooks net more than £300,000 across Scotland

dailyrecord.co.uk:

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.