Police Scotland warns Lanarkshire residents to be 'vigilant' after Scots lose thousands to scammers

Scots have been urged to stay vigilant after a series of financial scams led to people losing of thousands of pounds.

Police Scotland said it had received six reports of such incidents in Lanarkshire over the last few months.

The scams involve a call purporting to be from a bank or financial institution alerting someone to fraudulent activity which needs to be verified with a call back.

Scammers then provide a number to call back on for “security reasons”.

After calling back they ask the person to withdraw money and pass this to a third party for “safety” reasons.

Police Scotland said a bank would never ask a customer to transfer and withdraw money or set up a new “secure account”.

Police said the scam involved a phone call from people purporting to be from a bank or financial institution. iStock

Detective inspector Jamie Campbell of CID said: “We are asking members of the public to be aware of scams and take precautions to avoid becoming a victim.

“It’s not always easy to spot a scam, anyone can be fooled – these criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations, and the police.

“Don’t trust the caller ID display on your phone as a phone number is not proof of ID.

“I would encourage anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to be from their bank or financial institution to make sure the person calling is genuine.

“If in doubt hang up and contact the bank using the phone number on the back of your card or official paperwork.

“If the caller is genuine, they will understand your hesitation, don’t feel pressured to handing over details or withdrawing money.”

Anyone who thinks they may have fallen victim to this scam or who has any information that may assist officers is asked to contact 101.

Police Scotland issues scam advice here.