Police are warning people to be vigilant about mobile app fraud after scammers stole more than £10,000 from a woman's bank account.
The 58-year-old, from the Millarston area of Paisley, received a phone call from cruel scammers pretending to be her internet provider, who told her there was illegal activity taking place through her wi-fi.
The cunning hackers informed her that she would have to download specialist apps on her mobile to fix the issue, the Paisley Daily Express reports.
The woman did as she was instructed and downloaded two apps - Quick Support and Any Desk - which are both genuine apps that allow users to gain remote access to their devices.
However, it is understood these apps are commonly used by scammers to gain remote access to victim's phones and computers.
Shortly after the phone call with the fraudsters, the woman received an alert from her bank to tell her a total of £10,500 had been taken from her bank account through various transactions.
It's understood the scammers used the apps to link to her device and transfer the funds.
A similar incident also took place a number of weeks ago, with another Paisley resident being fleeced out of cash by scammers using the apps.
Inspector Laura Hamill, of Paisley's community policing team, said the use of these apps is dangerous because they are legitimate.
She told the paper: "This was a large sum of cash which was stolen and the woman was led to believe that things were above board because these apps were real and are genuinely used.
"In cases like this, it can be difficult for people to tell when things are above board or not.
"We would urge people to be extremely cautious when they receive calls such as this with people requesting you download anything to your devices.
"Genuine companies would not ask you to do this."
Paisley police recently launched a major campaign aimed at tackling ruthless scammers and cruel fraudsters who prey on the most vulnerable people in our communities.
The rise in the number of online and telephone scams reported across the region during lockdown sparked the four-week action plan aimed at raising awareness and protecting potential victims.
With criminals becoming more and more sophisticated in their methods, cops say people need to be ultra vigilant at all times.
The month-long campaign aimed to provide people with information on the types of scams and schemes deployed by callous crooks, including online, on the phone and in person.
