Police alert as online scams target Fifers

Police say they have reports of ‘vishing’ which saw one Markinch targeted for £34,000 and a woman in Glenrothes lose £600.

In each case, the perpetrators pretended to be either banks or IT services companies looking to assist the victims.

A further case also happened in the last month in Kirkcaldy lost £2000 from their account when a person was called by scammers pretending to be from HMRC.

Now, officers have issued a warning to the public and are actively tackling this issue through Operation Principle, Fife Division’s response to acquisitive crime.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham, said: “Those who perpetrate vishing scams claim to be from legitimate organisations to obtain personal or bank details.

“My message is to always be wary of callers requesting personal information as they can be very convincing and try to take advantage of people’s fears and vulnerabilities.

“If this happens to you, advise the caller that you will contact the company yourself to discuss this and hang up.

‘‘Find their phone number from their official website and call them back on a different phone to verify this.

“These people often target the elderly and vulnerable so please advise any friends, neighbours or relatives to be wary of these types of calls.

Police have a leaflet, Signpost to Safety, which contains all the relevant information surrounding scamming and how to avoid them. It is available from any police station.

More information on vishing here Police Scotland