Question reference: S5W-19491
- Asked by: Liam McArthur, MSP for Orkney Islands, Scottish Liberal Democrats
- Date lodged: 19 October 2018
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Current status: Answered by Humza Yousaf on 15 November 2018
Question
To ask the Scottish Government, in light of reports that Orkney islanders lost £350,000 through online and phone crime in 2018, what it is doing to tackle such activity, including what discussions it has with Police Scotland, and whether it will publish details of the discussions.
Answer
The Scottish Government work with a range of partners, including Police Scotland, to reduce the harm caused by criminals intent on exploiting vulnerable people for financial gain. There is a range of advice to help people improve their online and telephone safety and protect themselves from fraud and cybercrime, including from ‘vishing’ scams over the phone and ‘phishing’ scams through email. Some such resources are the Cyber Essentials Scheme, Take 5 to Stop Fraud, Cyber Aware, and Get Safe Online.
This is an operational matter for Police Scotland. Police Scotland have confirmed that enforcement activity continues, and enquiries by local CID officers into the incidents in Orkney are being support by specialist Police Scotland Departments across the country.
The banking sector, in partnership with Police Scotland and Trading Standards, introduced the Banking Protocol in March 2018. This allows bank staff to alert police if they suspect a customer is being defrauded. Since its introduction, the Banking Protocol has prevented victims losing over £1.7 million to fraud.
I would encourage anyone who has been a victim of fraud or cybercrime to report it to Police Scotland by calling 101, or 999 in an emergency.