Locals have been warned of scam calls being made from genuine HMRC number telling people they have an unpaid tax bill.
Police Scotland officers in Edinburgh received reports of malicious calls being made "purporting to be from Her Majesty’s Revenue & Customs [HMRC]."
They said scammers were spoofing genuine HMRC phone numbers to deceive people.
Victims who received a call were told that they were liable for prosecution over non-payment of tax, and the way to avoid this was to pay up immediately.
But the force said: "In genuine cases, HMRC will initially make contact via letter and potentially follow up with a call later. HMRC will not discuss something you are not already aware of and will not demand immediate payment."
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Anyone who thinks they might have been scammed by this or any other con can report it to police on 101, as well as contacting their bank.
Police Scotland also urged people to take part in free online training in how to avoid the scams.
