POLICE are issuing a further warning to the public following a vishing scam which resulted in a man losing £29,000.

The incident involved scammers cold calling a 50-year-old man.

They pretended to be from his bank and claimed that his account had been compromised, using software which made it appear as if they were calling from an official number.

The man was then convinced to transfer his money into another account for safekeeping, which resulted in the loss.

With this incident in mind, officers are again issuing a warning to the public and are actively investigating this through Operation Principle, Fife Division’s response to acquisitive crime.

Detective Chief Inspector Scott Cunningham, the lead for Operation Principle, said: “These scammers claim to be from legitimate organisations and try to frighten or pressure people into revealing personal details or banking information.

“Never give such information or transfer money to an unexpected caller and, although anyone can fall victim to this, please warn elderly or vulnerable friends or relatives in particular to be wary this type of scam".

He added: “If you receive such a call, advise the caller that you will contact the company on your own terms and hang up immediately.

"Find the organisation's phone number from their official website or a previous correspondence and call them back yourself, always on a different phone, to verify this.

“Operation Principle will be actively targeting this type of criminality over the coming days and weeks and we would encourage anyone seeking advice on this issue to contact us.

“We have 'Signpost to Safety' leaflets which contain information on scamming and how to avoid this, and which are available from Cowdenbeath Police Station."

Anyone with information about vishing can contact Police Scotland on 101 or make an anonymous report through Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.