We’ll catch you, e-scam fraudsters are warned
Police chiefs launch crackdown
21.10.2017 Fraudsters swindling elderly victims in complex e-scams have been warned they will be caught.
Police Scotland has launched a crackdown on crooks raking in thousands through email and phone cons.
Bosses have urged web users to be careful online and never to hand over bank details.
Inspector Cassie Glass, from the community policing team in Johnstone, says criminals are using technology to target vulnerable victims.
She said: “Do not be bullied or pressured into buying anything over the telephone.
“If you are feeling uncomfortable with any conversation, just hang up.
“Do not be attracted by a promise to make quick and easy money.
“If the offer is too good to be true, then it probably is.”
Officers have prioritised tackling scammers after a series of schemes saw thousands of pounds stolen from victims.
They say reliance on computers and mobile phones has provided them with new opportunities to exploit targets.
One woman lost £7,200 when a crook called pretending to offer a refund for anti-virus software earlier this month.
He lured the woman into allowing remote access to her computer, before telling her to type in her bank details.
The fraudster transferred her life savings from the account at the touch of a button.
The victim told police every phone call leaves her feeling anxious and she fears a criminal gang knows where she lives.
Swindlers also cheated another victim by pretending to be from a loan firm.
They called up and offered £1,000, but told the victim to hand over a £100 deposit.
And a man was left out of pocket after a conman offering a PPI refund told him to pay a fee by buying iTunes vouchers for him.
Inspector Glass added: “Sadly, financial crime is an area which is often under reported.
“Victims feel embarrassed and humiliated that they were conned out of sums of money, and they quite often do not confide in other family members as they don’t want people to know.
“I would urge the public to be cyber-savvy and, if using the internet, to be wary of clicking on links that are emailed or appear in pop-up boxes at random and to keep their virus software up-todate.
“If in doubt, do not click on any links you are unsure about.
“Never give out personal details, particularly financial information, or transfer money without doing some simple checks to ascertain if the product, service or company is legitimate.”