Fake police IDs used to con victim out of £25,000

Scammers posing as police officers stole £25,000 after conning their victim with what is believed to have been fake ID badges.

Police Scotland is investigating the theft, which took place on Friday.

A man claiming to be from the fraud office of a bank had phoned a householder in Bridge of Weir, Renfrewshire.

Later the same day two men attended the property claiming to be detectives investigating bank fraud.

The two scammers are said to have spent some time at the property, and showed ID badges which police said are "believed to be fake".

Police Scotland said it has received more than 30 reports from the public in the Renfrewshire area after being visited or contacted by individuals claiming to be from the force.

Supt Campbell Wallace said: "Whoever these men were, they were not genuine Police Scotland officers.

"They were at the property for some time and even showed ID badges which we believe to be fake.

"Unfortunately in this case, the scammers took £25,000 and we are asking people to be vigilant in relation to this kind of fraud."

He said if a member of the public received this kind of contact, they should ask for the officer's details and which department they work for. If concerned they should always call 101 and request verification.

He continued: "We began a national rollout of new identification cards, which feature an up-to-date picture of the officer along with other key information and various security enhancements that make them extremely difficult to replicate.

"This rollout was started in October 2021 and all police officers should be able to provide this identification when carrying out legitimate police business."