Information day helps Castle Douglas public avoid being swindled by callous crooks

dailyrecord.co.uk:

An information day aimed at helping the public avoid being swindled by callous crooks was held in Castle Douglas on Monday.The town hall event followed a series of recent incidents involving scammers trying to con people out of their savings.Several agencies were on hand to offer advice on how to spot fake emails, texts and phone calls.Keeping bank accounts safe and secure and the importance of never divulging personal details over the phone were among the key issues highlighted.The multi-agency initiative, led by Police Scotland, also had staff present from the Bank of Scotland, trading standards, Citizens Advice, the council’s community safety team and victim support.The afternoon came days after Glenkens pensioner Patricia Wheeler revealed how a criminal gang almost stole her life savings.The fraudsters had cloned her bank’s phone number and electronic transactions for thousands of pounds were stopped just in time after her real bank detected suspicious activity.Other recent scams include fraudulent texts advising recipients to “claim” electricity discounts.PC John Brown, lead officer for the initiative, said: “The police can always be contacted 24 hours a day on either 101, or in the case of an emergency 999.“It is important that scams are reported as soon as possible in an effort to prevent financial loss.

This may be through your bank, citizens advice or other third party agency.”The action day will be followed by various pop-up events at local venues as well as social media posts.