Representatives from Retailers Against Crime Scotland (RACS) were in the Loreburne Centre to meet the public and give out advice about how to prevent and avoid crime. They also distributed purse bells, which sound an alert if someone tries to steal a purse or wallet, and they liaised with shopkeepers to advise them on measures that can be taken to detect fake notes.
The event was organised following a spike in such crimes locally over the last few years. Between 2017-18, there were 231 fraud crimes reported in Dumfries and Galloway. And a recurrent problem was fraudsters ringing individuals and pretending to be calling from their bank or even the police.
Meanwhile, RACS are also running the “Take Five To Stop Fraud” campaign. Its key rules are:
1. A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for you PIN, full password or to move money to another account.
2. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.
3. Always question uninvited approaches in case it’s a scam.
- Retailers Against Crime Regional Executive Gemma Sellar and Loreburne Shopping Centre General Manager Jim Ireland are pictured above
