Police are scanning CCTV footage in a bid to track down heartless thieves who conned two elderly Perth residents out of £65,000.
The callous crime involved a series of phone calls to the couple by the crooks posing as police, and was described as “nasty” by a spokesman for Tayside Police.
It has left the couple, aged 90 and 88, distraught. The Courier has been told the thieves may come from Central Scotland, with the crime being labelled “complex” by Perth Police.
The elderly couple were duped when they handed over the money from their bank account last week.
A spokesman for Tayside Police western division said: “This was a complex case involving phone calls over a period of two to three days. The thieves stole a total of £65,000, which was a nasty crime.
“The couple are distraught. Our officers are viewing CCTV footage to help with their inquiries.
“An elderly couple from Perth were contacted by phone last week, and following several conversations in relation to an alleged criminal inquiry at their bank, the couple were duped into attending the bank and then handing over a significant amount of cash to the fraudsters.
“The couple, aged 90 and 88, were subsequently contacted the following day and asked to carry out two additional transactions which resulted in them losing an additional substantial sum. In total, around £65,000 has been stolen from their bank account.
“People should always be extremely cautious about providing personal and financial information over the phone, particularly in instances where they have been coldcalled.”
“While it is common practice to carry out transactions over the phone, we would advise people not to share financial or personal details with a cold caller. The callers may be very convincing but householders must keep in mind the fact that the person at the other end of the line has put time and effort into rehearsing their lines with the hope of catching them out.
“We would warn people to be suspicious of all such calls and always make every effort to ensure that the person at end of the line is who they claim to be, represent who they claim to represent and are legitimate and reputable.
“If people are unsure, they should take details of their company so they can check their credentials. People can even take a number with a view to checking out the details and calling the company they say they are from at a later time using a number they have obtained independently.
“Above all else if anyone has concerns of suspicions hang up and contact the police on 0300 111 2222.”
Action Fraud provides a great deal of advice in relation to all types of fraud and advice about how to avoid becoming a victim of the fraudster. For more information visit actionfraud.org.uk (link).
Following the latest incident in Perth, police have asked members of the public to be wary of cold-calling.