Online and telephone scam warning - Glenrothes

Police in Glenrothes are urging the public to be vigilant following recent reports of online and telephone scams.

A number of vulnerable people in Glenrothes have been targeted by fraudsters in recent weeks in scams that originate from phone calls or phishing emails.

We’ve had reports of a scam where the caller purports to be from Amazon, and they claim that either your subscription is due for renewal, or they are looking for a payment.  They then ask the victim to visit a website and download software or an app to check their account.  However, downloading this will give the scammers access to your computer, where they could potentially access personal information and banking details.

Other reports include one from callers purporting to be from broadband providers asking about issues with routers, and again the caller will ask to access a computer.  All ask for money to be transferred. 

Inspector Kirk Donnelly who is responsible for local policing in Glenrothes said “We are urging people to be aware of calls and contact of this nature and in particular to ensure that their elderly or vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours are also aware of these types of scam.  These calls and emails are sent to many, with the hope that they will find someone who does have an account of this type and who may be persuaded to do as they ask.

“These callous criminals are well-rehearsed, sound knowledgeable, and can be very convincing, particularly to someone who may not be used to handling online accounts that they don’t use regularly.  They may also have the name of the person they are calling which makes it sound more genuine.  If in any doubt, contact the organisation using a method you trust.  Contact police through 101 if you have any concerns.”

More advice can be found on the keep safe section of our website: https://www.scotland.police.uk/keep-safe/