Vulnerable residents across the north-east have been conned out of money, offered “virus killing” sprays and harassed by cold-callers in a despicable series of scams.
Aberdeenshire Council’s trading standards officers have provided details of the incidents investigated by authorities in recent weeks.
Rogue traders have offered to disinfect paths and driveways with “Covid-19 virus killing disinfectant” in an effort to take advantage of panic.
And an array of telephone scams, some in which criminals have said bank payments are needed over the phone due to the pandemic, have been reported.
Aberdeenshire Trading Standards Newsletter – May 2020
Welcome to our first Trading Standards newsletter. Please look out for weekly bulletins that will include local updates, links and tips for staying safe and helping to protect our community. https://t.co/9VbPn0PPCw
— @AberdeenshireTS (@AberdeenshireTS) May 11, 2020
People have also been receiving unsolicited emails from people pretending to be from the council, “demanding payment of rent arrears.”
Scammers have also used the name of local charities and church groups to e-mail residents seeking donations through the purchase of Amazon vouchers.
Trading standards officers have also raised concern over the activities of some local and national retailers, noting that a number have raised the price of high demand products, such as hand sanitiser and painkillers.
The teams have also received complaints from employees and customers about a lack of social distancing in various local businesses, and have “investigated and provided guidance” where necessary.
Aberdeenshire MSP Gillian Martin said: “While the community response to the coronavirus outbreak in Grampian has been overwhelmingly positive, it is disappointing to see a few individuals taking advantage of the situation with unsolicited emails, phone calls and text messages.
“It is vital that people in Aberdeenshire remain vigilant against scams during this challenging time and report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities.”
Across Scotland, scammers have been using lockdown as a chance to target more people at home.
In Moray, a vulnerable resident was scammed by a doorstep caller claiming to represent Moray Council.
The caller used a fake identity badge and had offered to purchase food, taking money from the resident.
In Shetland, police this week issued a warning after people reported receiving scam phone calls from people claiming to be from their bank or building society.
And last week, the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) revealed they had forwarded more than 160,000 suspicious e=mails to a scam-busting service, leading to 300 websites being shut down.
The Suspicious Email Reporting Service, set up two weeks ago, has investigated a series of scam websites that claimed to sell coronavirus tests, face masks and even vaccines.
