Charity reports worrying rise in people being scammed

An alarming rise in Scots being hit by scams has been reported by the country’s leading advice charity.

Citizens Advice Scotland (CAS) said there were 4,800 reports of scams and suspicious activity reported to them - up 11% on the same period from the previous year.

One man was conned out of £4,000 in an online dating sting, while others lost significant sums of money from fake passport and driving licence renewal websites.

CAS spokesman Fraser Sutherland said: "It's shocking to think that so many Scots are facing this level of crime. The number of scam cases we saw last year was high, but this year it looks set to be even higher.

"In one sense this indicates that scam victims are coming forward and reporting it perhaps more than in the past, and that is of course a good thing.

We want everyone in Scotland to be a whistle-blower in the fight

"However, research has shown that only 5% of people who are hit by a scam are likely to report it, so that suggests we still have a huge amount of work to do to persuade people to keep coming forward.

"Reporting a scam can help us stop it happening to someone else. We want everyone in Scotland to be a whistle-blower in the fight."

Some people have even contacted the charity for advice on how to stop scam mail being delivered to relations with dementia who have lost hundreds of pounds.

Sutherland added: “Anyone in Scotland who has been hit by a scam, or knows about one, can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline to report it or to get advice on 03454 040506.”