Warning after Scots lose thousands to scammers claiming to be police officers in Renfrewshire

A warning has been issued by police after a spate of incidents in which people have been scammed out of thousands in Renfrewshire.

Residents in the area have been urged to be “vigilant” after a number of people were scammed out of sums of up five figures.

Police Scotland said the scams involve people receiving a call from a person claiming to be a police officer alerting them to fraudulent activity on their account.

The force warned that during the phone call “personal questions are asked for security reasons”.

“In some cases, the victim is instructed to visit their bank to withdraw money and pass it to a third person,” they added.

The public is being urged to share the warning with elderly relatives and neighbours to ensure they are aware of the scams.

Detective constable Barry Gourley said: “These criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police and we would urge people to be vigilant”.

He added that police officers will never phone members of the public to alert them to fraudulent activity on their account and “will never ask you to transfer or withdraw money”.

“If you receive a call from someone claiming to be from your bank or financial institution, and you are in any doubt at all, hang up and contact the bank using the phone number on the back of your card or official paperwork,” he continued.

“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 is asked to contact 101,” he added.