Perthshire North MSP, Mr John Swinney, has encouraged people in Perthshire to be aware of scams and fake news following an increase in reports across Scotland about scam emails, text messages, and doorstep callers. 
 
Across the UK there is evidence fraudsters are increasingly targeting members of the public, as well as organisations of all sizes, with emails, texts, telephone calls, social media messages and online shopping scams relating to the outbreak.

Police Scotland have now launched a new Shut Out Scammers resource to protect the public and businesses from COVID-19 related scams. The UK's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has also launched an email reporting service, which the public can use to report any suspicious activity.

Commenting, Mr Swinney said: 
 
"While the community response across Perthshire to the coronavirus outbreak has been overwhelmingly positive, it's disappointing to see a few individuals taking advantage of the situation with unsolicited emails, phone calls and text messages. 
 
"During this coronavirus crisis, everyone in Perthshire should take extra care to ensure that they only share information from trusted sources, ask for identification from all doorstep callers, and never hand over any personal information.
 
"It’s vital that people across the region remain vigilant against scams during this challenging time and report any suspicious activity to the relevant authorities."