A SENIOR detective  has warned the public to be on their guard following reports of financial scams in the south of Scotland.

In each of these incidents, the victims have been phoned by someone claiming to be a police officer investigating fraud at their bank and have asked for the account holder’s assistance.

The victim has then been asked to take a large sum of money from their account which will be then collected by a courier. Fortunately, in these cases the victims did not withdraw any money.

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Detective Inspector Graeme Robertson said: “The people who carry out these crimes are despicable. They target the most vulnerable members of our community and try and steal their life savings.

“Police will never contact you and ask you to transfer money and would urge people to be aware of these calls and to ensure that their elderly or vulnerable family members, friends and neighbours are also aware of these types of scams.

“These criminals are very well-rehearsed, sound knowledgeable, and can be extremely convincing, particularly to someone who may not be used to handling online accounts that they don’t use regularly.

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“I would encourage anyone who receives a call from someone claiming to be from their bank or financial institution to make sure the person calling is genuine.

“If in doubt hang up, wait a few minutes and contact the bank using the phone number on the back of your card or official paperwork.

“When you do make the call ensure that the dialling tone can be heard or use a mobile phone to make the call if possible. If the caller is genuine they will understand your hesitation, don’t feel pressured to handing over details or withdrawing money.

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"We are encouraging the public to help us track these individuals down, so please report any incidents of this nature to police by contacting 101.”