A Moray charity has teamed up with other groups across the UK to try and reduce the amount of people falling victim to scams.
Figures published by Citizens Advice Scotland show that nearly half the population of Scotland have been targeted by fraudsters at least once in the last year with a third approached more than three times.
Now the Elgin-based Moray Citizens Advice Bureau has joined the Scams Awareness campaign to raise awareness of the crime and encourage people to share experiences by using the slogan “stop, report, talk”.
Branch manager Mary Riley said: “Scammers can come at us online, by telephone, or in person. But whether it’s a builder who does shoddy work or someone who sells you fake goods or someone who hacks into your computer or phone and empties your bank account, none of us can afford to lose money to con artists and we all need to stand up to them.
“We want to raise awareness of how scammers operate, and encourage people here in Moray to report them to the police, and also to talk about scams to your friends and family.
“Scammers depend on us staying silent. So the more we talk about them, the more aware people become, and the harder the scammer will find it to scam the next person.”
Information on how to spot scams is available online at www.cas.org.uk or from Moray Citizens Advice Bureau’s base on Moss Street in Elgin.