Using sophisticated and convincing email scams, foreign criminals are now preying on some of the area’s most vulnerable residents in a shameless attempt to line their own pockets at the expense of their unsuspecting and often elderly victims.

Trading Standards bosses have now warned people to be on their guard after it emerged last week that two 74-year-old senior citizens from the area were nearly coaxed into giving up valuable details to internet con artists.

The convincing swindlers had posed as a legitimate government organisation and pretended to inform the trusting residents of an unexpected tax rebate, backing up their claims with official looking documentation and phony identification.

However, in order to get their hands on the promised cash the couple were nearly tricked into providing sensitive information which could have been used to clean-out their bank accounts or sold on black market to other criminal gangs.

One of the elderly people targeted, who didn’t want to be named, told the Reporter the effects could be devastating.

She said: “It was so official looking, I’m sure it would fool loads of people, that was the danger of it.

“It said we had been overcharged and a rebate of £479 was due to us. It asked us to download an attached form, which was very official looking.

“I started to fill in the details but as soon as I saw it was asking for bank details I thought it was suspicious.

“They must have been trying to steal our identification.

“I thought I would leave it over the weekend and check with the council and they said they didn’t know what they were talking about.

“It was disconcerting to say the least to see how easy it would be empty somebody’s account.

“Somebody in dire straits thinking they were due a rebate would just think let’s get this filled in and sent as soon as possible.

“If you were an old person living alone and your account was wiped out it could be suicidal for some people.” The Reporter also recently exposed details of a scam in which hackers pose as friends of their victims and send email messages informing them they are in trouble and in need of urgent financial help.

Although most people will immediately delete these types of emails those behind the hoax send so many messages that if one person takes the bait their efforts will have been more than worth their while.

Trading Standards teams and police in Dumbarton and the Vale have also been keen to warn residents to be careful on the internet.

David McCulloch, Trading Standards section head, said: “Trading Standards would always urge people to be on their guard at all times when receiving incoming emails from people they don’t know. Scammers can make their emails look very professional by using logos that are similar to genuine organisations.

“We would remind residents that if they are offered money that they had no idea they were entitled to, it is almost certainly a scam as genuine organisations such as HMRC, banks or the council will not process refunds or rebates by email.”