Police Scotland are warning Edinburgh businesses after a string of debit card scams were reported in the capital by fraudsters using their own card reader instead of the one belonging to the establishment.
Multiple reports said that scammers were swapping out chip and pin machines with fake ones, resulting in all payments going directly into the their own bank account.
This has occurred within the city centre on two different occasions on Thursday, 20 January 2022, resulting in a mid-five figure sum of money being stolen from businesses. These are being treated as linked incidents and enquiries are currently ongoing.
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Businesses are now being warned to not leave such devices unattended or alone with customers.
Sergeant Janie Harman from the Prevention, Intervention and Partnerships Department said: "We are urging retail and hospitality staff to be extra vigilant and ensure that they are in control of the card devices at all times, even when it’s not in use.
"If you think you may have been a victim of this type of fraud, contact your bank immediately, ensure that any CCTV is secured and contact police on 101, or in an emergency always call 999."
"Anyone with information about these incidents who has not already contacted Police Scotland should call 101, quoting reference 1971 of 20 January 2022, or report information anonymously via the charity Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111."
