ScamSafe Scotland

15/03/2026

Close to home this one! Cyber crime group which was part of an international crime ring in Aberdeenshire.

Be careful with your data...

A HOME in a village in Aberdeenshire was raided by police as part of a worldwide crackdown on a major cybercrime syndicate ...

13/03/2026

Are you a Klarna user? If so, be aware of new advice just released by them to avoid being scammed.

https://www.klarna.com/uk/phishing-and-scams

21/02/2026

Justice!

Good to see the law catching up with the heartless scammer who helped launder over £330,000 stolen from an elderly man in a pensioner scam — absolutely shocking to hear such a vulnerable person was targeted like that. Police and courts got it right this time. 💯

This is Mohammed Asif. The crook whose shop received the proceeds of a £333,000 pensioner bank fraud has been jailed for 32 months.

Mohammed Asif's corner shop in Uddingston, Lanarkshire, received two bank cards belonging to William Thomson, 81, who was convinced to open the new accounts and send large sums to them.

Mr Thomson had been conned into believing that there was suspicious activity on his account by a man pretending to work for TSB Bank in January 2024.

The stolen cash was then used to buy almost £200,000 of Apple products and more than £40,000 of gold.

Asif pleaded guilty at Glasgow Sheriff Court to a charge of being involved in an arrangement for the use of criminal property. The court heard Mr Thomson had received a call from a person with an English accent claiming to be a David Gray from TSB Bank.

The OAP was told that his account had been compromised and suspicious activity had been detected.

14/02/2026

🏉 Welcome to my new followers!

As Scotland take control of the Calcutta Cup in the Six Nations Championship 🏴
Let’s make sure scammers don’t get over the line.

I'll help you:
• Spot the dummy
• Tackle dodgy texts
• Ruck over risky links
• And boot phishing straight into touch

No soft defence.
No easy tries.
No gifting fraudsters a winning score.

If you’re new, drop a 🛡️ below.

Let’s keep the scoreboard — and your bank balance — firmly in Scotland’s favour.

12/02/2026

05/02/2026

🚨 SCAM WARNING — Family Business Savings Wiped Out 🚨

A Scottish family has lost thousands after fraudsters posing as their bank’s fraud team pressured them into handing over money on a phone call — a classic vishing scam where the caller sounded legit and used pressure tactics.

https://www.edinburghlive.co.uk/news/edinburgh-news/scottish-familys-business-savings-wiped-33330339 -readmore-target

📌 ScamSafe principles to remember:
🔹 Stop & Check: Scammers create urgency and fear to rush you into action. Always pause before you do anything.

🔹 Verify independently: If someone sounds official, hang up and call the real institution on a number from their official website or card.

🔹 Never share details or authorise transfers when contacted out of the blue. Scams can happen over phone, email or text.

💡 Anyone can be targeted — but awareness and caution are your best defence. Share this to help protect others.

"It was awful, very frightening but very real. I feel ashamed to say I was roped into it but it was so pressured and believable. It completely caught me off guard."

20/01/2026

Scam attempts are becoming more common across Scotland, with many people receiving fake texts, emails and phone calls designed to look genuine.

Recent reports show significant financial losses, but awareness and early action can make a real difference.

➡️ Read more from STV News about the scale of the issue in Scotland:
https://news.stv.tv/scotland/scots-warned-of-scamdemic-as-860000-lost-to-cyber-criminals-in-12-months

By talking openly about scams and sharing trusted information, we can help protect friends, family and neighbours — especially those who may be more vulnerable.

Call to action:
💬 Comment below or drop me a message if you’ve seen any scam texts, emails or calls recently (no personal details). Your experience could help someone else stay safe.

16/01/2026

🔥 How AI Deepfakes and Impersonation Scams Are Evolving — Don’t Be Fooled

Scammers aren’t just sending fake emails anymore — they’re using AI-generated voices, images and videos to impersonate people you know personally or from film and TV.

From cloned executives on video calls to callers claiming to be bank or government officials, these deepfake scams are becoming frighteningly convincing and are designed to trick you into giving up money or sensitive info.

According to J.P. Morgan’s fraud advisory, deepfakes and AI impersonations are now being used to fool individuals into making fraudulent payments and sharing credentials.

The scammers make phone calls, texts or video calls that appear real, often using stolen media and spoofed contacts to build trust — so it’s critical to verify identity independently before taking action.

🔗 Full article: https://www.jpmorgan.com/insights/fraud/fraud-protection/ai-scams-deep-fakes-impersonations-oh-my

What to watch for:
✔ Unexpected urgent requests or messages from people you know or celebs
✔ Video calls from “trusted” colleagues you didn’t schedule
✔ Emails/texts from someone you recognise but with slightly odd language
✔ Links and attachments you weren’t expecting

Quick tip: If someone contacts you claiming to be a real person or official — hang up and call them through an independent phone number you trust.

15/01/2026

Have you ever had a message from your boss that says:
“I need you to do something urgently.”

Would you stop to question it? 🤔

Scammers know that when people feel rushed, they don’t stop to think.

If anyone — your boss, a colleague, a client or even a family member — asks you to drop everything and buy gift cards, vouchers or codes 🎁, that’s a huge red flag.

Before you do anything:
📞 Call them back using a phone number you already trust
🗣️ Speak to them directly to confirm the request
⏳ If they don’t answer, leave a message and wait

Never act on urgent messages alone — especially when money or codes are involved 💷🔐

Scammers rely on panic.
You win by pausing. ✋

12/01/2026

11/01/2026

Hope you’ve all had a nice weekend!

Has anyone been getting annoying unknown or nuisance calls lately? 😤 If so, here’s a quick tip that can instantly reduce up to 80% of scam & spam calls on your mobile. 👇

📱 Quick Setup – Spam Blocking:
➡️ iPhone: Settings → Phone → Silence Unknown Callers (ON)
➡️ Android: Phone app → Menu → Settings → Caller ID & Spam → Filter Spam Calls (ON)

These built-in features are proven to stop up to 80% of spam calls before you even see your phone ring. 📵

📞 Home phone users:
If you’ve got a landline with Sky, they’ve got tools to help you deal with nuisance calls and texts too — check them out here 👉 https://www.sky.com/help/sky-talk/nuisance-calls/articles/dealing-with-nuisance-phone-calls-and-texts

🔐 Bonus tip: Register with the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) to cut down unsolicited marketing calls as well.

📊 Scam call stat: Over 230 million scam calls are made every month in the UK alone — many linked to fraud & phishing attempts! ⚠️

Stay safe, block the noise, and let us know if these steps help! 👍

Sky Help

09/01/2026

😂 Weekend giggle — This “AI Granny” is driving scammers up the wall! 😂

Scammers don’t take weekends off — but sometimes technology messes with them instead!

O2 has created an AI “granny” who intentionally talks scammers in circles — asking about pastries, knitting patterns, or where she left her glasses — just to keep the scammer on the phone and away from real people.

🔗 Read the full article here 👉 https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/feb/04/ai-granny-scammers-phone-fraud

The AI “granny” isn’t a real person — but listening to scam callers get frustrated and confused highlights how ridiculous some scam tactics really are.

💡 Weekend message:

Scammers use scripts — and when those scripts don’t work, they often fold quickly.

That’s exactly why:

✔ If someone pressures you for money, codes, or access — don’t play into their script
✔ If it feels odd or confusing, that’s your brain working correctly
✔ Hanging up or pausing isn’t rude — it’s smart

Enjoy the laughs — and keep your common sense switched on! 💙