Police and banks save potential fraud victims £5.5 Million
People have been saved from potentially falling victim to banking frauds to the tune of five and a half million pound thanks to interventions.
An anti-fraud scheme led by police and the banking sector prevented scams worth more than £5 million last year.
Under the system, bank staff are trained to spot when a customer is about to fall victim to a con, often when they ask to withdraw an unusually large sum of cash.
Nineteen arrests were made through the Banking Protocol in 2018, and potential fraud victims were saved £5,490,397, Police Scotland said.
Last year 815 emergency calls were logged by bank staff, triggering an officer response.
Assistant Chief Constable Steve Johnson said: "The Banking Protocol has generated real tangible benefits to assist the most vulnerable members of our communities.
"Through the commendable efforts by the banks involved in the Protocol and the actions of the police officers responding, we have ensured that banking customers in Scotland have been protected from nearly £5.5 million of fraud in 2018.
"Police Scotland continues to invest in the Banking Protocol and will keep working with the financial sector to keep people safe from financial crime.