AN ELDERLY woman was nearly conned out of £9,000 by a scammer.
Police are warning people to be on the alert after the attempted scam yesterday (Monday).
The scammer told the woman that they were from a telephone service provider.
They duped her into accessing her bank account and managed to move money between her accounts to make it look like she had been overpaid a substantial amount of money.
They then asked the woman to go to her bank and transfer this money, £9,000 back into their account and to say it was for a friend.
Fortunately, staff at the Royal Bank of Scotland in Musselburgh were alert to this, aware of the banking protocol and notified police.
As a result, the woman did not lose any money and police have started an enquiry to trace the person responsible.
Police are now reminding people to be vigilant of these types of calls and emails, and to advise, support and educate family, friends and neighbours.
For more information on staying safe from phone scams, click here.
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