Cumbernauld woman scammed out of thousands by man pretending to be a police officer

A woman in Cumbernauld has been scammed out of a four-figure sum after being contacted by a man claiming to be a police officer.

The woman received a call from a man pretending to be an officer who said her bank cards had been compromised and used in fraud.

She then received another call from a man claiming to be from the bank and was advised to visit local shops and withdraw Euros in a bid to aid the investigation.

The woman was told to hand the money, totalling 7,500 Euros, over to a man with a mask covering his face.

Police are now searching for the suspect and have appealed for anyone else who may have fallen victim to the scam to come forward.

The suspect is described as being a white man in his late 30s, around 5ft 11in in height with short black hair. He was described as wearing a white shirt, a red tie and black trousers.

Detective Sergeant Karen Murray said: “Our enquiries into this incident are ongoing and we are asking members of the public to be aware of scams and take precautions.

“These scams are not always easy to spot and anyone can be fooled. These criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police. Often they have details about a person they shouldn’t convincing people they are legitimate.

“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 and contact the bank using the phone number on the back of your card or official paperwork. If the caller is genuine, they will understand your hesitation, don’t feel pressured to handing over details or withdrawing money.”

Anyone who has any information about this incident is asked to contact 101 quoting reference 2541 of February 8, 2024.

Anyone who thinks they may have fallen victim to this scam is asked to contact 101.