A man who was charged after an Aberdeen pensioner was allegedly defrauded of a six-figure sum of money will no longer be prosecuted, it has been revealed.
Police Scotland’s north-east cyber crime team suspected the 46-year-old man of committing “cyber-enabled fraud” in May 2022.
But, although he was charged in September last year, the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service (COPFS) has since confirmed that it will take no further action.
A COPFS spokeswoman told The Press and Journal: “The Procurator Fiscal received a report relating to a 46-year-old male and an incident said to have occurred on 17 May 2022.
“After careful consideration of the facts and circumstances of the case, including the available admissible evidence, the Procurator Fiscal decided that there should be no proceedings taken at this time.”
Court action could still be taken ‘should further evidence become available’
The decision means that the man, who is from London, no longer faces court action.
However, the Crown Office official added that Scotland’s prosecution service still “reserves the right to proceed in the future should further evidence become available”.
Police had probed a report of an 89-year-old man from Aberdeen suffering a six-figure loss.
Around the time of the allegation Detective Sergeant David Williamson, of Police Scotland’s cyber-enabled crime team urged victims of crime to come forward.
He previously commented: “We treat all reports of cyber-enabled fraud with the utmost seriousness and recognise the impact that financially-motivated crime has on our communities.
“Organised crime groups use technology to target and exploit vulnerable individuals in their own homes, however by working with law enforcement partners across the UK, we aim to disrupt these activities.”
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