Police warn of the con artists who are impersonating them across Scotland and have stolen more than £30k

More than 30 reports have been received from members of the public between October 2021 and January 22 with Lanarkshire residents being targeted.

The true scale however of the monies lost may never be known as the crime frequently goes unreported because of the potential embarrassment factor.

On each occasion, the victim was contacted by telephone from someone claiming to be from a bank fraud department and advised that their bank account had been compromised. They were then requested to either transfer money remotely to another account online or attend at a bank and remove cash, which would later be collected by a police officer.

While not every attempt to extort money was successful, those responsible defrauded a number of victims from Tayside right down to the Borders.

It is stressed too that police have been issued with new identification cards which provide exact details of the credentials of officers that cannot be forged.

Superintendent Hilary Sloan from Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division said: “While there are a number of ways police officers may look to contact you, please be mindful of this scam and always be suspicious of any unexpected contact.

"If you receive such a call, or visit, ask for the officer’s details and which department they work for for example.

“If you receive an email claiming to be from Police Scotland with a link to an external site to make a payment, this may also be fraudulent. Be aware of phishing scams and verify that any link provided is genuine.

If you receive something claiming to be from us requesting any form of payment, contact us via 101 to investigate this matter before parting with your money.

“We are treating this ongoing scam with the utmost seriousness and have officers around the country pursuing various lines of inquiry.”