A pensioner has been cheated out of £24,000 in a scam which made her believe she had won the lottery.
The 70-year-old woman from Aberdeen was told she had won a major prize in the Euromillions lottery.
She was told the £24,000, which she parted with in two instalments, was necessary to allow her to claim the prize.
Grampian Police are warning people not to get caught out by the promise of large sums of money.
Community safety officer Inspector Roddy MacInnes said this was the latest in a long line of frauds to target the north-east, from fake shares to cloned websites.
“This was a cruel fraud perpetrated against a vulnerable and elderly victim,” he said.
“This was quite a sophisticated scam in that the second payment was paid into a genuine and unsuspecting British company’s account.
“This was used as payment for vehicle parts sent to another part of the world, which in turn were sold on by the criminals.”
North-east MSP Richard Baker called on police to “redouble their efforts” to raise awareness of the dangers of scams that were circulating in the region.
“It is important that people, particularly the elderly, are on their guard,” he said.
“The crimes that have been committed are particularly upsetting and distasteful. I hope the police manage to catch these criminals and they get a stiff sentence.”
The victim received a letter telling her she had won a substantial prize and was given a phone number to ring.
She only realised she had been scammed when she was contacted by her bank.
A Help the Aged spokesman said many elderly people who have been conned will not tell anyone about it.
“They are so ashamed at having been cheated,” he said.
“The fact is that if it seems too good to be true, it probably is.
“These people are professional criminals and once you show an interest they keep at you. The main issue is about education and raising awareness.”
Aberdeen MSP Brian Adam has called for telephone and internet providers to help tackle some of the scams run through their service.
“There should be a duty on service providers to take all steps to protect their customers,” he said.
“There is almost no protection from these scams. It is a pity there is no international agreement on the issue.”
Police are advising people who receive a phone call, letter or e-mail telling them they have won vast amounts of money to be instantly suspicious.
“If in doubt, ask a friend, relative, Citizens Advice Bureau or the police and never part with any money before really thinking this through,” said Inspector MacInnes.
“Remember, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is.”