News / Now four phish scam victims
SHETLAND police say that four people are now known to have lost “significant” sums of money as a result of a phishing scam targeting the isles over the weekend.
Inspector Eddie Graham said they had received a total of 41 complaints from local people saying they had received calls from a man with a Scottish accent claiming to represent Santander Bank.
Police sent out an urgent media alert on Sunday afternoon to warn people against handing over bank account details to anyone cold calling over the phone.
Four people did hand over their details, and it has now emerged that all four have lost out financially as a result. Initially it was thought only two people had actually lost money as a result of the fraud.
“From our perspective a very small percentage of the 41 people who reported receiving calls actually suffered financially,” Graham said.
“Hopefully the press release heightened people’s awareness of the scam, and we have not had any calls since Monday.”
Police are making enquiries about the source of the scam, which is believed to have originated outside Shetland.
Become a supporter of Shetland News
Shetland News is asking its many readers to consider start paying for their dose of the latest local news delivered straight to their PC, tablet or mobile phone.
Journalism comes at a price and because that price is not being paid in today’s rapidly changing media world, most publishers - national and local - struggle financially despite very healthy audience figures.
Most online publishers have started charging for access to their websites, others have chosen a different route. Shetland News currently has over 600 supporters who are all making small voluntary financial contributions. All funds go towards covering our cost and improving the service further.
Your contribution will ensure Shetland News can: -
- Bring you the headlines as they happen;
- Stay editorially independent;
- Give a voice to the community;
- Grow site traffic further;
- Research and publish more in-depth news, including more Shetland Lives features.
If you appreciate what we do and feel strongly about impartial local journalism, then please become a supporter of Shetland News by either making a single payment or monthly subscription.
Support us from as little as £3 per month – it only takes a minute to sign up. Thank you.