Scammers have been targeting people outside supermarkets in Tayside – by duping them into buying broken TVs.
Police say they have had two separate reports of these crimes in August.
One happened at Farmfoods on Crieff Road in Perth on August 12, and the other at Sainsbury’s in Dundee on August 14.
How does the scam work?
Officers say the scam involves a person being approached by someone offering to sell cheap new televisions.
The victim is shown boxes containing TVs, which are bubble wrapped and appear to be the real thing, although they are not able to able to actually examine the sets.
They then take the box home to discover the TV they have bought is not the one depicted on the box, and is broken or smashed.
Descriptions of suspected scammers
Both incidents involved men using a black Transit van, with the bogus seller in Perth described as being 5ft 10in in height and of stocky build, with dark hair and a bushy beard.
Three white men were said to have been involved in the Dundee incident.
All were well-built and were wearing smart clothing, and spoken with Irish accents.
‘Don’t buy off the back of a lorry’
A spokesman for Police Scotland said: “It goes without saying that if you are being offered knockdown items from the rear of a van or ‘off the back of a lorry’ so to speak, they are unlikely to be legitimate.
“The people offering the items for sale can often be quite persuasive, intimidating or forceful.
“If you are confronted by anyone in this manner, do not feel pressurised into dealing with them and walk away.
Police appeal for information
“It is not rude to do so, and any legitimate salesperson would not be conducting their business in this manner.
“If you have been approached by someone in this manner recently or have been a victim to this scam in the past few weeks, please call 101 and let us know.
“Also, if you have any information about the incidents described above, call 101 or speak with any police officer.
“Information can also be given anonymously through CrimeStoppers on 0800 555 111. Our reference is incident 2592 of August 12.”