Police issue warning after scammers cost Cupar man £29,000

The 50-year-old, from the Cupar area, was the victim of cold calling, with scammers pretending to be from his bank and claiming that his account had been comprimised.

The scammers used software which made it appear as though the call was from an official number.

The man was convinced to transfer his money into another account for safekeeping, which resulted in the loss.

Following this incident, police are again issuing a warning to the public about the scams.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham, the lead for Operation Principle, said: “These scammers claim to be from legitimate organisations and try to frighten or pressure people into revealing personal details or banking information.

“Never give such information or transfer money to an unexpected caller and, although anyone can fall victim to this, please warn elderly or vulnerable friends or relatives in particular to be wary this type of scam.

“If you receive such a call, advise the caller that you will contact the company on your own terms and hang up immediately.

“Find the organisations phone number from their official website or a previous correspondance and call them back yourself, always on a different phone, to verify this.

“Operation Principle will be actively targeting this type of criminality over the coming days and weeks and we would encourage anyone seeking advice on this issue to contact us.

“We have ‘Signpost to Safety’ leaflets which contain information on scamming and how to avoid this, and which are available from any police station in the Fife area.”

Anyone with information about vishing can contact Police Scotland on 101 or make an anonymous report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.