Police Scotland and politicians have met with Royal Bank CEO Ross McEwan in Edinburgh to present a united front in helping to keep Scotland safe from the growing impact of fraud and cybercrime.
In a step to stop scammers in their tracks and keep the public’s money safe, Mr McEwan held an event yesterday at Royal Bank of Scotland’s flagship branch at St Andrew’s Square alongside Finance, Economy and Fair Work Secretary Derek MacKay, the SBRC’s Mandy Haeburn-Little and Police Scotland Chief Superintendent John McKenzie to discuss steps that could be taken to stop fraudsters in their tracks.
The meeting coincided with the launch of the Royal Bank of Scotland’s Little Book of Big Scams, which has been developed with support and input from some of the parties at the meeting.
The launch also includes new cyber fraud advice booklets, which are available online and in print. You can also download this information at the bottom of this page.
Ross McEwan, Chief Executive, Royal Bank of Scotland Group said, “Keeping our customers safe and secure is a bank wide priority, we are committed to helping our customers and communities protect themselves from scams and the fear of being scammed. We believe that prevention through education is key and are delighted to be working with Police Scotland on this informative guide as well as looking at how we can work together.
“This book and our plan to provide Friends Against Scams Training to one million people across the UK by 2020 will help customers and non customers to spot a scam and empower them to help prevent relatives, neighbours and friends from becoming victims.”
Finance, Economy and Fair Work Secretary Derek MacKay, said, “We welcome this initiative from Royal Bank and the Scottish Business Resilience Centre – both of whom are important partners in our work to strengthen Scotland’s cyber resilience through our Private Sector Action Plan on Cyber Resilience – to help people protect themselves against fraud. Being able to recognise suspicious behaviour and know what to do – and often what not to do – is a key step in clamping down on this illegal practice.
“Digital technologies have transformed the way we do business, socialise and provide key services. But opportunities are not without risk and that risk, unfortunately, is increasing.
“Cyber resilience is a fundamental enabler in our digital future, and I would encourage everyone to consider how they can make their time online safer.”
In 2017, the bank prevented 497,000 fraud attempts in the UK, which is the equivalent of £245 million being stolen.
The types of scams that customers are experiencing range from face to face fraud to those carried out anonymously by someone online. The most common scams include romance fraud, recruitment fraud, holiday fraud and ticketing fraud.
Police Scotland Chief Superintendent, John McKenzie commented, “Police Scotland is delighted to support the relaunch of the Little Book of Scams materials in Scotland to assist our communities in staying safe in the virtual and the real world.
“These publications offer excellent advice in raising awareness and most importantly, provide easy tips to prevent you becoming a victim of the ever-growing variety of scams and fraudulent activity, which criminals may use, to steal your money or personal details.
“I encourage you to read and share these documents with your family and friends to increase your knowledge and understanding to reduce the harm often associated with these crimes and by doing so, stay safer in your online activities.”
CEO of SBRC Mandy Haeburn-Little added, “We are really delighted that Royal Bank have yet again been at the forefront of customer protection around Cyber Security. The bank was one of the very first companies to be Cyber Catalysts or ambassadors for Cyber Security in Scotland, working directly with SBRC and the Scottish Government.
“At a time when so many companies struggle to create digital trust with their customers, I commend Royal Bank of Scotland for their tireless activity and their absolute commitment to understanding individual customer needs in this area. This publication is the next stage in supporting those customer needs.”
The Little Book of Big Scams, compiled in partnership with the Police Scotland, highlights the most common scams that customers fall for and provides simple tips on how they can protect themselves.
Furthermore, for customers who are victims of fraud the book provides advice on the best course of action to report and remedy the unfortunate situation they may have found themselves in.
Click these links to access advice on business fraud and personal banking scams.
John graduated from Telford College in 2010 with an HNC in Practical Journalism and since then he worked for the North Edinburgh News, The Southern Reporter, the Irish News Review and The Edinburgh Reporter. In addition he has been published in the Edinburgh Evening News and the Hibernian FC Programme.
