A plucky pensioner has outwitted an organised criminal gang who tried to defraud her of thousands of pounds.
Maureen Mills said she was so outraged at the thieves that she decided to string them along for days, including giving them false bank account details.
The wily 64-year-old outfoxed the fumbling crooks who had to break off contact with her their patience finally snapping when she gave them an eight-digit bank account number containing only zeros.
The criminals had claimed to represent the Euromillions Baku Lottery and attempted to bamboozle Mrs Mills with claims she had won £720,000.
Mrs Mills said: “I knew it was a scam from the off, but I thought it would be fun to see what they said.
“So I gave them a call and a man answered. At no point did he ask for my bank details, which even surprised me a little.
“He just said the cheque would be sent out to me by first class mail. And low and behold two days later I got a letter asking me to pay a clearance charge of 1%.”
Undeterred, the Invergowrie pensioner called the gang back, saying she was uncomfortable giving out her details.
She said: “I know never to give out details over the phone, but they still kept persisting. I even suggested that they give me the money first and I’d then send them the 1%. He got confused with that and said he’d call me back.
“Eventually he rang again and said that wasn’t possible. I asked about all these different things the last was a bank account with just zeros in it.
“Eventually he just hung up on me.”
Mrs Mills said she was relieved to have outwitted the scammers, but added that she wanted to warn others who might fall foul of the fraud.
“I worry that if someone had the 1% they might just hand it over, it is a lot of money,” she said.
The fraudulent letter is the latest in a long line of attempts by organised criminals to defraud people in Tayside.
A police spokesman said: ‘‘People should always be extremely cautious about providing personal and financial calls over the phone particularly in instances where they have been cold called.
“We do on occasion receive reports about householders and businesses receiving unsolicited calls from people who claim to be from well-known reputable companies, or financial institutions.
“Details that have been requested can include cardholder’s name, card numbers, passwords and card expiry dates. While it is common practice to carry out transactions over the phone, we would advise people not to share financial details with a cold caller.
“Personal information should not be shared in such circumstances either including simple information such as when you may or may not be at home.
“If you are unsure, take details of their company so you check their credentials. You can even take a number with a view to calling the company they say they are from.”