Cops have issued a firm warning for Paisley residents to be vigilant after an elderly man was cruelly targeted by yet another bogus phone caller.
A brazen fraudster pretending to be from the HMRC called the 82-year-old victim, who lives in the Charleston area of the town, and told him he owed the taxman a four-figure sum.
After being given instructions by the scammer, the pensioner then spent a three-figure sum on Google vouchers, returning the call to give out the information on the vouchers.
The elderly gent travelled to Argos the following day to buy more vouchers, at which point the shop staff realised something was untoward and notified police.
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Officers are now appealing to fellow residents to be wary of any similar phone calls.
A Police Scotland spokesperson confirmed: “An 82-year-old male victim received a phone call from a person purporting to be from the HMRC, saying he owed a four-figure sum of money and advised him to go and buy Google vouchers.
“The elderly gentleman purchased a three-figure sum of Google vouchers and then passed the information from the vouchers back to the person who originally called him.
“He went to Argos the next day to purchase more vouchers, however, they were alert to it and they alerted the police, so he was not defrauded of any more money.”
Inspector Tracy Harkins, of Paisley’s community policing team, warned: “Should you get a phone call from anybody, not just reporting to be at HMRC, requesting for money for payment in any kind of vouchers or in any payment over the phone, please make sure not to do so.”
This latest incident comes on the back of a spate of similar scams which took place just a few weeks ago, when hundreds of homes across Renfrewshire were hit by con artists trying to rip off unsuspecting families.
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HMRC confirmed there had been more than 1,500 reports of the scam across the UK last year. It revealed that many of the victims were over the age of 65 and lost, on average, £1,150 each.
Chief Superintendent Gordon Crossan warned that scammers are using phone messenger services to contact as many potential victims as possible.
He explained: “The people who perpetrate these scams use mass messaging knowing that most people will not be duped.
“However, they also know that such messaging will reach vulnerable people, particularly the elderly.
“It’s really important that Express readers ensure their family and friends are aware of the scam and encourage them to be vigilant.”
Anyone with information should contact police on 101, or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
