In pandemic as crooks steal £ 86m from Scots
Scots as experts warn of plausible crooks with more sophisticated scams
them becoming depressed and even paranoid that someone is watching them or tracking their ever y move online. Some even feel suicidal because of it. The sheer scale of this problem is a big concern.”
Consumer agencies report the most recent frauds include Covid scams, bank s c a m s, HMRC scams and
“phishing” messages supposedly from online firms such as Amazon.
People are also being conned via cloned and fake we b s i t e s , business scams such as fake grants, cold callers, counterfeit goods and misleading energy marketing, and the illegal puppy trade is booming.
“Younger victims are even less likely to report a fraud, or even tell their own family about it, because they feel they should know better,” said Co l i n Ma t h i e s o n , spokesperson for Advice Direct Scotland. “But these criminals can fool just about anyone. Even the most logical and level-headed people can be taken in.”
Ruth Mendel, policy officer for Citizens Advice Scotland, said fraud was a very real crime, often with lasting financial and emotional consequences for victims. “If someone had their wallet stolen from their pocket, they would soon report it but many see reporting being conned as admitting to being weak or even stupid,” she said. “But dealing with this on your own without a support network can make some people feel even worse.
“The more people report these sorts of incidents, the more other people will become aware of them.”
The surge in fraud is also causing backlogs in the courts.
Scotland officially recorded only one high- profile fraud case for the entire period of 2020 as Covid- 19 continues to pose significant logistical challenges for the country’s justice system.
KPMG’S UK head of investigations, Roy Waligora, said increased costs to businesses through fraud were likely to be passed on to c u s t o m e r s. “We expect that it will be at least another 18 months before things start to normalise,” he said.
Po l i c e Scotland said it was committed to investigating all types of fraud and urged more victims to report suspicious or criminal activity.
Detective Superintendent Dave Ferry said: “Over the past year, as people have stayed at home, more and more of our business has been carried out online; whether that is social engagement, shopping or working from home.
“We a l re a d y k n ow that those who are involved in carrying out fraud and scams are undoubtedly attracted to the online space and, as a result, we have seen an increase of reported frauds in these areas.
“Reporting these crimes to police is very important in our effort to tackle fraud, as it enables us to identity areas of concern and find patterns of behaviour.”
He added: “This information is invaluable in ensuring that we have a true picture of the types of fraudulent activity taking place across the country. With this we can put appropriate measures in place that allow us to further investigate and also support victims of these types of crime.”