FRAUDULENT SCHEMES, Friday, August 1, 2014 Police Scotland is warning people to be alert to the risk of becoming a victim of fraudulent schemes following recent reports of crimes of this type in Tayside. During the last week in Dundee there have been two reports of incidents where people have been approached by strangers in the street offering to sell high-value goods such as computers, mobile phones and electrical items for cash up front. However during the exchange, the victims were given items of nominal value instead, on these occasions the deceit was only noticed after the suspects had left. Officers are appealing for witnesses who may have information that could assist with their enquiries into these crimes. In particular police are keen to trace the occupants of a blue coloured Ford Focus or Mondeo seen in the area Baffin Street yesterday afternoon between about 2.45pm and 3.30pm. The suspects in this incident are described as two men, one aged in his mid-30s wearing a white t-shirt with light coloured stripes and blue jeans, the other in his mid-40s wearing a blue-coloured top. A similarly described vehicle, a blue Ford car was also seen in the Murraygate and Exchange Street, Dundee between about 4pm and 5pm on Tuesday 29 July and the suspects are described as being a man in his 30s, wearing a dark baseball cap, yellow top, and jeans and a man thought to be aged between 50 and 60 years old. Anyone with any information that may assist police with their enquiries into these incidents should contact Police Scotland on 101. Police again also warn of becoming a victim of scams involving alleged lottery winnings. In the last month, an elderly woman received a number of telephone calls claiming she had won hundreds of thousands of pounds in a USA lottery and was instructed to send cash and cheques to different addresses in the UK to pay for various taxes, before she could receive any money. Police Scotland again urge people to remain extremely cautious and alert when dealing with telephone calls of this nature to prevent becoming a victim of fraud. Schemes such as these can perpetrated by people cold calling by telephone, attending at their home address, via unsolicited letters, emails or sending texts and people should be wary of any offer that requests money up front. Fraudsters can claim to represent various organisations, including banks, financial institutions, government bodies and even lottery operators, as well as masquerading as seemingly reputable businesses. While it is common practice to carry out transactions over the phone or the internet, take nothing for granted. Never give out any personal information, including bank details, to any unknown agency. If you are unsure, take details of the company and check out their credentials. Personal information should not be shared under any circumstances until you are entirely satisfied that the person you are doing business with is legitimate and reputable. People committing fraud all too often prey on people’s vulnerabilities, be suspicious of any arrangement that involves parting with your hard earned cash until such time that you are completely satisfied that the person or company you are handing money over to is genuine. The bottom line is that if something appears too good to be true, then it usually is. If you have any concerns or information regarding fraudulent activity contact Police Scotland on 101.
Posted on: Fri, 01 Aug 2014 16:56:37 +0000
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