​Hospice just one of several business that lost millions to fraudsters

A charity has lost a high six figure sum after being duped by a massive fraud.

Highland Hospice has been revealed as one of the victims of a vishing incident which in total defrauded a number of businesses of £2.5 million between 19 July and 30 July.

Vishing takes place via phone calls when fraudsters encourage victims to give out personal details, such as card, PIN or card reader codes. The fraudsters often pretend to be from a bank or the police.

Some of the money has since been recovered and work is ongoing to try and recover as much of the funds as possible.

Police Scotland said it was aware of other attempts against hospices of this nature recently but it has not been established if these are linked to the Highland Hospice case.

Forbes Duthie, chairman of Inverness-based Highland Hospice, said: "Staff at the hospice have been shocked and devastated by this despicable and sophisticated cyber crime.

"The stolen funds had been raised through the generosity and significant efforts of hospice fundraisers and supporters to help us care for our patients and support their families which makes the crime especially abhorrent."

Highland Hospice chief executive Kenny Steele added: "Although this is a horrendous situation it will not have an immediate impact on operations. There is resilience built into the hospice financial systems to cope with these types of risk to ensure that our top priority of patient and family care and wellbeing is protected.

"We have put in additional security measures and we are working with the police and banking authorities to work on recovery of the funds and track the perpetrators. We also hope that releasing this information will help protect other businesses in the area."

Detective Inspector Iain McPhail from the Economic Crime and Financial Investigation Unit said: "Any activity of this nature is unacceptable but to defraud money from a charity with the primary purpose of providing palliative care is utterly disgraceful.

"We are carrying out a thorough investigation into this incident and other businesses involved.

We have put in additional security measures - Kenny Steele

"We are also working with the companies' banks as part of the investigation and also to recover the money that has been taken.

"These incidents are unusual in their scale for the Highlands but there is nothing to suggest that the north of Scotland is being particularly targeted.

"However, I would again urge people to be on their guard against unsolicited calls from someone claiming to be from their bank.

"Always double check numbers you're given to call back on or call through the main customer care number for the organisation and ask to be put through.

"If you decide to ring back and verify the call it is advisable to do so on a different phone line like another landline or your mobile. If you are still unsure, consider visiting your local branch instead of speaking to someone over the phone."