Scammers have been knocking doors in Dundee pretending to be from a well-known charity.
Stobswell residents have been warned to stay on guard after people pretending to work for Alzheimer Scotland were visiting homes and duping residents.
A spokesman for the Stobswell Forum said the charity had been in touch to warn people in the area.
He said: “In recent days Police Scotland have received numerous calls from concerned members of the public in relation to person/s attending at their doors purporting to be from Alzheimer Scotland.”
‘We never go door to door’
But Alzheimer Scotland told the Stobswell Forum not to ask for donations via door-to-door visits or cold calls.
Jim Pearson, Director of Policy & Research said: ““Alzheimer Scotland are very proud of the support that we have built over the years and the many different ways that we, and our supporters, raise funds.
“However, there are some fundraising tactics that we do not believe in or take part in. Alzheimer Scotland does not conduct any form of door-to-door fundraising, nor do we endorse this as a way of fundraising.
“We can therefore confirm that the individuals in Dundee are not from, or acting on behalf of, Alzheimer Scotland.”
Concerns
He added: “If anyone has any concerns that the individuals may have been acting unlawfully, we would urge you to contact the police and report the incident.
“That may be helpful if other similar reports have been made to the police.
“If you or someone you know are concerned and has provided card details to sign up to regular giving we would also advise contacting your bank to cancel the direct debit and ask the bank about freezing the bank card and having a new on issued.”
Charity doesn’t condone cold calling
The charity provided the following statement to the forum: “We do not conduct any door-to-door or cold telephone fundraising, and we would not condone this type of fundraising taking place on our behalf.
Recent reports
“We have had some very recent reports where someone has come to their door purporting to be from a dementia charity, and the householder has believed this to be Alzheimer Scotland.”
The spokesman added: “There are other charities in the dementia field who we know fundraise in this manner, but we wanted to reassure you that this is not in any way related to Alzheimer Scotland.”