Police Scotland is urging members of the public to exercise caution following a rise in sophisticated investment fraud.
Fraudsters are increasingly targeting individuals through convincing online advertisements, social media campaigns and unsolicited cold calls, often promising high-yield returns with little to no risk. Victims across the North East have reported losing significant sums of money to fake cryptocurrency schemes, fraudulent share offers and cloned websites mimicking legitimate financial firms.
Officers are reminding the public that if an investment opportunity sounds too good to be true, it almost certainly is.
Police Scotland strongly advises everyone to follow these steps before parting with any money:
Investment fraudsters are professional, manipulative and will go to great lengths to appear legitimate – sometimes even showing fake profits on a dashboard to trick you into investing more. Always stop and think, do your research and check the FCA register. Protecting your hard-earned money starts with making sure you know exactly who you are dealing with.
You can check if a firm is genuine or view the FCA’s warning list of unauthorised companies by visiting register.fca.org.uk
If you believe you have been targeted by an investment scam, contact your bank immediately using a known official number (such as the one on the back of your card) and report the incident to Police Scotland on 101.
This messaging system is not for reporting crime as responses are not monitored 24/7. If you have time-critical information regarding the content of the above message, or if you wish to report any other non-urgent matter, please call 101. In an emergency, call 999.
Police Scotland’s North East Division covers rural and urban areas in Moray, Aberdeenshire and Aberdeen City. The division has five territorial command areas which have their own dedicated Area Commander, who is responsible for the daily policing function. Each command area is served by a number of community policing teams whose activities are built around the needs of the local community. These teams respond to local calls and look for long term solutions to key issues. They are assisted by the division’s Crime Reduction Unit who deliver against Force and local priorities in a number of areas, including physical and social crime prevention, supporting and enhancing community engagement and creating and sustaining strong and effective partnership working.
