Don’t be a victim of fraud
Perth and Kinross’police local area commander is urging residents to be wary of fraudster scams.
Criminals are impersonating people, organisations and the police and contacting vulnerable residents to con them out of money.
The police say this can include, banking fraud, cheque scams, courier fraud, doorstep scams, holiday scams and identity theft among others.
A new campaign advises residents to‘Stop’and take a moment to pause and think before parting with any money or information.
The next step is‘Challenge’ and question the potential fraudster as“only criminals will try to rush or panic you”.
The final step is‘Protect’, where individuals are asked to contact their bank immediately if they think they’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Police Scotland.
Local area commander for Perth and Kinross CI Graham Binnie said:“Some criminals are using the pandemic as an opportunity to trick people into parting with their money or information.
“It’s important to remember that criminals are experts at impersonation, using official branding and language used by trusted organisations and government departments to convince you their emails are genuine.
“These may include offering you or your business a government grant or a reduction in your council tax with links contained leading to fake websites.”
Glasses have been raised at the Salutation Hotel to mark 30 years ownership by the Strathmore Hotel Group.
A real stalwart of Perth’s South Street, many famous faces stayed and prestigious local events have taken place during this time.
Sir Bob Geldof, Jules Holland and many of the 80s stars who have played at Rewind Festival are among those to have stayed the night.
The hotel has hosted many weddings and is famed for its fantastic party nights, raising over £12,000 for various local charities.
While unable to host party nights this year due to COVID-19, the hotel, within legislation and social distancing, is to put on Christmas lunches and Christmas dinners in private rooms.
The hotel is keen to“offer some cheer and festive spirit to end a very gloomy year.”