Bank fraud warning for East Dunbartonshire
Police officers in East Dunbartonshire are warning the public to be on their guard following recent frauds involving the impersonation of police officers.
Several older residents in East Dunbartonshire have been defrauded of four and five figure sums of money over the month of August. In these cases, the criminals contact their victims by phone at home and claim to be police officers or bank officials.
The scammers say they have concerns regarding the fraudulent use of the victim’s bank card which has been cloned, and they convince the member of the public they are genuine.
Victims are then asked to attend a bank, post office or currency exchange and asked to withdraw cash to assist with a police investigation. This cash is later collected at the victim’s home by a person impersonating a non-uniformed police officer or bank official.
Police officers or bank officials will never attend your home to collect cash or bank cards.
Police officers or the bank will never phone you and ask you to transfer or withdraw money. If you are unsure, then verify it via a trusted method, such as calling the number on the back of your bank card. Do not call the phone numbers provided to you by a scammer.
Local Area Commander for East Dunbartonshire, Chief Inspector Aidan Higgins, said: “I would like to reassure everyone that extensive enquiries are being carried out by a team of specialist officers to identify those responsible.
“This type of crime occurred in the area earlier in the year and a man was arrested and charged. Unfortunately, we are continuing to see this method being used to deceive and defraud members of our East Dunbartonshire community.
“It is important that everyone is aware of this scam and to be vigilant of such phone calls. Do not be fooled, even if the scammer uses your name and gives a plausible story. I would ask anyone with elderly relatives or neighbours to make them aware of this fraud as soon as possible.
“Police officers or your bank will never ask you to transfer money to another account or withdraw cash from your account to be uplifted by someone. They will never ask you to disclose personal financial information.
“Police or bank officials will never telephone you and ask you to withdraw funds to be collected later from you at home.
“These callous criminals prey on vulnerable people in our communities. They go to great lengths to appear legitimate, including having your personal details. The victims are persuaded to believe that they are assisting with a police investigation and are extremely upset and distressed when they find out they have been the victim of fraud.
“If you receive a call of this nature, do not engage with the caller and hang up. It is a scam. If you’re unsure, take a few moments to think. If you can, note the callers telephone number, hang up and contact police on 101.”
The simple message is - This is a Scam - Hang up the Phone – Do Not Engage - Do not withdraw cash to provide to a stranger.
Anyone with concerns can call police on 101.
