Businesses in the Highlands have been defrauded of £2.5 million in a banking scam.
Police Scotland have issued a warning after the telephone scam, known as vishing, damaged several companies between July 19 and 30.
Officers said that companies had received calls from people claiming to work for their banks and using phone numbers that looked genuine.
The fraudsters claimed that accounts had been compromised and persuaded victims to transfer money to a “safe account”. Police did not say how many businesses were tricked but said that some of the money had been recovered, while work continues with banks to get more of it back. No arrests have been made yet.
Detective Inspector Iain McPhail, from the economic crime and financial investigation unit, said: “These fraudsters are very convincing and have managed to obtain a significant amount of money from local businesses.
Advertisement
“We have launched a thorough investigation into these incidents and are working with the companies’ relevant banks. Some of the money that companies have lost has been recovered and work is ongoing to try and recover as much money as possible.”