Businesses across Scotland are being urged to stay vigilant as companies across the country have been scammed out of millions of pounds.
Nation-wide, around £4.76 million has been stolen from companies in the Highlands, Fife, Glasgow, and Ayrshire.
Unsuccessful attempts have also been made against businesses in Edinburgh and Aberdeen.
The fraudsters work by calling businesses claiming to be from their bank, use software to change numbers to make the call appear genuine, and also send fake emails.
READ MORE: Highland hospice among those defrauded by £2.5m banking scam
The warning from Police Scotland comes after the Highland Hospice in Inverness became a victim of such an incident which, in total, defrauded a number of businesses in the north of almost £2.5million between July 19 and July 30 this year.
A mid-six figure sum of money was fraudulently removed from the charity. Some of the money has since been recovered and work is ongoing to try and recover as much of the funds as possible.
Police Scotland said it is aware of attempts against other hospices, but it has not been established if these are linked to the Highland Hospice case.
READ MORE: The ATM ‘skimming machine’ scam that's on the rise
To crack down on the fraudsters, the force is reminding the business community their bank will never contact them asking for personal information, or to carry out a transaction.
Detective inspector Iain McPhail, from the economic crime and financial investigation unit, described how all activity of this nature is “unacceptable,” but he particularly hit out at the scammers for targeting a charity which works hard to provide end-of-life care, labelling it “utterly disgraceful.”
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He said: “We are carrying out a thorough investigation into this incident and other businesses involved. We are also working with the companies’ banks as part of the investigation and also to recover the money that has been taken.
“I would urge people to be on their guard against unsolicited calls from someone claiming to be from their bank. Always double check numbers you’re given to call back on, or call through the main customer care number for the organisation and ask to be put through.
“If you decide to ring back and verify the call, it is advisable to do so on a different phone line like another landline or your mobile.
“If you are still unsure, consider visiting your local branch instead of speaking to someone over the phone.”
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