Amazon Prime Scam: 31-year-old man arrested and charged in Scottish Borders after woman tricked into handing over her bank details in subscription fraud

A 31-year-old man has been arrested and charged in connection with fraud offences including conning a woman after informing her that an Amazon Prime subscription was fraudulently deducted from her account.

Man, 31, arrested in Scottish Borders following online Amazon Prime subscription scam.

Police Scotland said extensive enquiries were carried out resulting in the arrest of the 31-year-old man in Hawick on Wednesday April 28.

It follows an investigation where a woman in Galashiels was subject to fraudulent transactions, by people claiming to be from Amazon, in November last year.

The woman was persuaded to download malware which allowed the scammer to access her bank account details.

The man has been reported to the Procurator Fiscal and will appear at court at a later date.

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Amazon state on their website that they will NEVER call and ask you to install an app or ask for remote access to your computer.

"They advise that if you receive a suspicious call, email or text claiming to be from Amazon which asks for personal information, a payment, or offers a refund you don’t expect, you should not give out any personal information.

Police have advised people to take the following steps:

•Do not press 1 or follow any other instructions given in an automated message

•Don’t give any personal or account information to a cold caller

•Never follow instructions from an unsolicited caller to download an app or software which would allow them to access your computer remotely

•If in doubt, hang up and contact Amazon using details found on their official website

•Report scams to Advice Direct Scotland

•If you have been the victim of fraud, report it to Police Scotland on 101.

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