Crooks scam£60k outof victims

Crooks posing as police officers have duped £60,000 out of pensioners across Ayrshire, it has emerged.

Now police said that the victims are part of a £300,000 scam in Scotland.

Officers are probing a total of 30 incidents across the country since October.

The Post reported last month how slick conmen had tricked the vulnerable pensioners out of £9500 in Ayr, Prestwick and Mossblown.

Victims have also been targeted in Kilmarnock, Irvine,Forth Valley, Fife, Lanarkshire, Dumfries and Galloway, Tayside and the Scottish Borders.

The victims receive a telphone call from someone pretending to be from either their bank and police stating there had been fraudlent activity on their account and then ordered to withdraw cash from their bank. They are then told to meet plainclothed officers in car park and hand over the money.

Chief Superintendent Faroque Hussain, divisional commander for Ayrshire, said: “I want to advise our communities to be vigilant for anyone attempting to extort money from you in this manner and to contact us via 101, or 999 in an emergency, if you believe someone is impersonating a police officer. Similarly, if you believe you have information that can help us identify these scammers, then please contact police immediately.”

Ayr MSP, Siobhian Brown, is urging constituents to be cautious following the incidents. She raised the issue in Parliament with Cabinet Secretary for Justice and Veterans, Keith Brown, who assured her that Police Scotland works closely with other organisations to confront online criminals and keep the public safe.

Ms Brown, said: “We all must take steps to look out for vulnerable people by making sure they take some simple measures to increase their online security.”