Praise for shopworker who foiled the scammers

A QUICK-thinking Buckie shopworker has been praised by police for preventing an elderly couple being scammed out of hundreds of pounds.

The couple, in their 70s, turned up at a store at the High Street asking to purchase a significant quantity of Google vouchers.

It later emerged they had been contacted on the phone by a person who duped them into believing they were in line for a windfall which could be redeemed by buying these vouchers.

Realising that something was not quite right, the shop worker quickly contacted the police.

Officers are now investigating the incident and are urging the public to be on their guard.

Detective Inspector Norman Stevenson said: "Had it not been for the actions of this quick-thinking shop worker, the couple could have been several hundred pounds of out pocket with the potential to be targeted again and again.

"It is callous and beyond comprehension.

"Thankfully a great deal of heartache and further financial distress has been avoided in this case."

Scammers get their victims to read out over the phone to them the serial codes on the gift cards.

They can then use these serial codes to buy items for themselves online.

DI Stevenson said: "Scammers are becoming increasingly believable and know what tactics to use to force their victims into acting in a way they never imagined they could.

"They can conjure up elaborate cover stories to draw people in. In some cases they have daily contact with their victims for a period of weeks to enhance their credibility."

Anyone with concerns about scam calls should contact police on 101.