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Police Action Fraud – Scam Phone Call Warning

POLICE SCOTLAND are warning the public to be aware of bogus automated telephone calls reporting to be from Amazon Prime and have fraudulently obtained over £1m from victims in the UK.

Action fraud have received over 500 complaints all relating to Amazon Prime annual subscriptions.

The recipient is asked to ‘Dial 1’ in order to cancel the automated subscription payment and are then transferred to a ‘Service Representative’ The caller convinces the resident to give them remote access to computer equipment or pass bank account details over the phone.

Safer Communities Officer PC Marshall said;

Bogus callers are often very convincing – they are skilled in what they do. Unfortunately, telephone scams are not unusual and people are often caught out by the plausible nature of the person on the other end of the line.
“This is a well-known scam across the UK and we would like to take this opportunity to remind people to stay vigilant and to think twice if they are ever offered something that is to be too good to be true or when they receive an unexpected call.”

Further tips on protecting yourself from phone fraud:
– Consider making your phone number ex-directory.
– Don’t give out any personal information unless you are the one who made the call and you are certain of the identity of the person you are speaking to.
– Don’t give out your credit card or bank card details to strangers on the telephone.
– Never tell somebody your bank PIN number, even if they claim to be the bank or police. If the caller is genuine they will never ask for this information.
– Don’t give out information which may infer that you live alone, are older or vulnerable.
– Never send money to anyone who claims to have a prize for you.
– If it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.
– Contact your local trading standards service they may be able to offer advice on approved ‘call blocking’ technology.

Police urge anyone who experiences similar calls to follow the tips above and to report the matter via 101 or to ActionFraud at actionfraud.police.uk

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