Scottish public told to beware persistent and persuasive scammers

John Stewart receives multiple calls from scammers every week, sometimes as many as two per day.

But while he knows how to handle them, he fears for people less confident in being able to tell a bogus call given their increasingly sophisticated methods.

He has spoken out as part of Scottish ScamWatch Week, led by Advice Direct Scotland, to make everyone aware of the lengths the scammers will go to.

The national campaign is working to dispel the myth that only older and more vulnerable people are caught out, with scammers increasingly using emails and texts to prey on people of all ages.

Some of the most common scams include fake parcel delivery texts, scammers claiming to be from HMRC, and investment scams such as cryptocurrency offers.

Mr Stewart’s most recent call, he says, was very convincing – with the culprit clearly having done some homework.

The scammer claimed he was Michael Roy from Microsoft, and suggested Mr Stewart had a problem with his computer.

Having had years of experience spotting and dodging scam phone calls, the 73-year-old was immediately suspicious.

Mr Stewart said: “This one was particularly sophisticated and more pushy. They had all my details, my address, my phone number, they had prepared their case very well.

“The man told me he was Michael Roy from Microsoft, one of their senior technicians, and when I looked him up on the internet later there is a Michael Roy who is a senior technician there.

“He even gave me what he said was his reference number with Microsoft and a phone number to call to confirm his identity.”

As always, Mr Stewart confronted the caller, telling them he knew they were trying to scam him.

Instead of hanging up, as he said they usually would, this caller was more determined than any other.

Mr Stewart, from Blairgowrie, said: “He was very insistent. When I said he was a scammer the phone seemed to go dead, but then he called me back.

“He said ‘You’ve said I’m a scammer, I am very well respected in my profession and I can’t have people calling me a scammer, my reputation is very important to me’.”

Despite trying his usual tricks, like claiming he did not have a computer, the bogus caller kept trying, continuing to accuse Mr Stewart of trying to ruin his reputation.

After he was threatened with his internet being cut off, Mr Stewart ended the call and reported the incident to trading standards.

He said he would not usually have taken this step, but the convincing nature of the call made him do so.

Though Mr Stewart is relatively confident in his own abilities to spot a bogus caller, he worries for others.

To get free advice, call 080 164 6000 or use the web chat or e-mail via www.consumeradvice.scot

Keep an eye open for ‘sophisticated’ scammers.