Scammers have successfully impersonated Scottish police and stolen over £300,000 from people across the country.
Police Scotland stated that they have been sent over 30 reports since October in regards to members of the public being contacted by people falsely claiming to be officers.
These people were phoned by scammers pretending to be a member of the force's bank fraud department, informing them that their account had been hacked.
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The fraudsters then attempt to get victims to either move their money to a different account online, or in some cases even tell them to withdraw the cash to have it collected by a 'police officer'.
As reported by the Daily Record, Police Scotland have stated that they are acting with the "utmost seriousness" in regards to the scam, and have warned the public to be vigilant.
Although not every one of these attempts was successful, the scammers have stolen money from victims in areas such as Lanarkshire, Ayrshire, Tayside, Dumfries and Galloway, Fife, and the Scottish Borders.
Superintendent Hilary Sloan, from the Partnerships, Prevention and Community Wellbeing Division, stated: "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.
"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 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."
She continued: "This rollout 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."
Police said that more than £300,000 has been defrauded from victims, and enquiries to identify those responsible are ongoing.
Anyone with information is asked to contact Police Scotland via 101 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where anonymity can be maintained.
Ms Sloan said: "We are treating this ongoing scam with the utmost seriousness and have officers around the country pursuing various lines of inquiry."
Areas affected include Prestwick, Ayr, Kilmarnock, Irvine, Motherwell, Blantyre, Dunblane, Linlithgow, Stirlingshire, Falkirk, Dumfries, North Berwick, Galashiels, Cupar, Forfar and Aberfeldy.
