SCAMMERS trying to dupe Wee County residents into handing over their bank details are still pestering locals.

Alloa resident Henry McClelland, 79, has spoken out about his recent experience after becoming concerned about how crafty the anonymous callers have become.

He received a call on his home telephone on Monday, July 8, from someone who claimed there was an issue with his bank account.

Henry told the Advertiser: "[The guy] says to me that my bank card had been used to draw £600 out in a foreign country.

"It was total piffle because I phoned the bank to check."

The caller tried to get Henry to dial a number and speak to someone else, in what he believes was an attempt to get him to reveal his bank details.

However, Henry simply hung up the phone instead.

While he has been unsuccessfully targeted by scammers in the past, Henry claims he has never had a call like that before.

He said: "I have been getting two or three calls like these, but this was a new one.

"This was the first time they have said that money has been taken out of my account."

Henry's bank took a note of the incident, and he said he usually reports scam calls to BT in an effort to prevent future attempts.

But his recent experience left him alarmed enough to speak out about it.

In particular, he wanted to ensure that more vulnerable members of society were informed so that they would not fall victim to predatory callers.

Henry's experience is far from being an isolated one, and in recent months the Advertiser has reported on other Wee County residents' experiences dealing with scammers too.

In May, Alloa's Maureen Fraser discovered a voice message on her telephone claiming a warrant had been issued for her arrest over alleged unpaid taxes.

The 55-year-old recognised the message was bogus, but was left alarmed at how "aggressive" scam callers had become.

Aware of how widespread the problem is, Police Scotland have issued advice on how to deal with suspicious calls.

Their recommendations include making home telephone numbers ex-directory, never giving out financial information over the phone, and reporting suspicious incidents anonymously to Crimestoppers.

Crimestoppers can be reached on 0800 555 111, and further advice and information on preventing scammers from accessing personal and financial information can be found by visiting tinyurl.com/yyp9z76n.