Be aware of police impersonation

The public is urged to be vigilant for a current banking scam involving people impersonating police officers.

Between October 2021 and January 2022, more than 30 reports were received from members of the public, who had either been visited or contacted by people claiming to be Police Scotland officers.

On each occasion, the victim was contacted by telephone from someone claiming to be from a bank fraud department and advised that their bank account had been compromised.

They 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.

Superintendent Hilary Sloan said: ‘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.

‘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.

‘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.