Police are warning the public to be vigilant after scammers hit a town centre home in Dumfries.
Two men impersonated Loreburn Housing staff to gain entry to a property in Shakespeare Street on January 13 at around 8.15pm.
They told the owner they were there to carry out repairs before stealing jewellery and cash.
The first man is described as being approximately 50-years-old, 6 foot tall, average build and short dark hair while the second was in his 30’s, 5 foot 5 inches tall, average build and short fair hair.
Sue Irving, Director of Housing Services at Loreburn said: “We’d remind all of our tenants that anyone from Loreburn will always have photo ID.
“If anyone’s unsure about letting a caller into their home, please call us - our lines are open 24/7 and we can verify a caller’s identity and the purpose of their visit.
“We have provided CCTV to assist Police enquiries and are working with the community safety team to provide reassurance to residents.”
Meanwhile fraudsters impersonating police officers carried out an elaborate scam in the region.
It was one of 30 reported across Scotland between October and this month.
In total more than £300,000 has been defrauded from victims.
Superintendent Hilary Sloan from partnerships, prevention and community wellbeing division said: “While there are a number of ways police officers may look to contact you, please be mindful of this scam and always be suspicious of any unexpected contact.”
On each occasion the victim was phoned by someone claiming to be from a bank’s fraud department telling them their account had been compromised.
“They were then requested to either transfer money remotely to another account online or attend at a bank and remove cash which would later be collected by a police officer.
“Police are now offering advice to stop people falling victim to this scam and will be leafleting across the region to help educate communities on how police will engage with the public in person, over the phone and online.”
Superintendent Sloan added: “If you receive such a call, or visit, ask for the officer’s details and which department they work for.
“If the contact is by telephone, hang up and if possible use a different phone to contact the police service via 101 where you will speak to genuine members of Police Scotland and can request police officer verification.
“We began a national roll-out 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 roll-out was started in October, 2021, and all police officers should be able to provide this identification when carrying out legitimate police business.
“If you receive an email claiming to be from Police Scotland with a link to an external site to make a payment, this may also be fraudulent.
“Be aware of phishing scams and verify that any link provided is genuine.
“ If you receive something claiming to be from us requesting any form of payment, contact us via 101 to investigate this matter before parting with your money.
Anyone with information on either the scam or the theft is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101. Alternatively, an anonymous report can be made to the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.
