Dodgy phone scammers targeting Moray households

July is scams awareness month with Trading Standards and Citizens Advice Scotland working together to combat scams. But that doesn’t stop scam attempts arriving online, by mail and by phone – if only! Just yesterday, a Moray householder recorded an attempted phone scam and reported it to Moray Council Trading Standards. The recording shows how the fraudster attempts to panic the recipient into responding, in this case by threatening legal action – a common tactic used by scammers. The fraudster even has the cheek to end the call with a cheery ‘have a great day’.

Anyone responding to this type of call will be asked to pay a fine for some imaginary problem. If payment is made, the fraudsters will return demanding more money using a plausible excuse. Anyone receiving this type of approach should ignore it. If called on the phone, it’s best just to end the call.

The ‘Take Five’ campaign aims to stop fraud and has 5 golden rules:-

• 1.Never disclose security details, such as your PIN or full banking password.

• 2.Don’t assume an email, text or phone call is authentic.

• 3.Don’t be rushed – a genuine organisation won’t mind waiting.

• 4.Listen to your instincts – you know if something doesn’t feel right.

• 5.Stay in control – don’t panic and make a decision you’ll regret.

Further advice is available at https://takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/ and you may want to manage who gets through on your phone using Sky Talk Shield or BT Call Protect if your telephone company provides this type of service.

Frauds and attempted frauds can be reported to www.actionfraud.police.uk/