EAST Renfrewshire residents are being warned about a series of phone scams.

Experts at CPR Call Blocker have compiled a list of the most active scams doing the rounds and is urging people in the area to be on their guard.

These include bogus calls from someone claiming to be a police officer or detective who convinces you to withdraw funds and hand them over to an investigator.

A spokeswoman for CPR Call Blocker said: "They may give you a fake crime number and investigation details. They also convince you not to trust bank staff. In some cases, people are asked to call 999 or 101 to verify the call is genuine but the scammers keep the line open, so you are actually talking to them."

Another popular scam involves getting a call from someone claiming to be from Amazon Prime, saying you have been charged for an annual subscription.

They then tell you that fraudsters have hacked your account to authorise payment but it can be cancelled if you press a button and then give access to your bank account in order to undo the hack.

CPR Call Blocker has also highlighted a scam that involves someone claiming to be from your bank saying there is a problem with your card or account.

They may ask for your account, card and PIN details and may also advise transferring your money to a ‘safe’ account to protect it.

A fourth scam involves getting a call from someone claiming to be from HMRC, saying there is an issue with your tax refund or an unpaid tax bill. They leave a message asking you to call back.

People are also urged to be wary of receiving a call offering compensation for an accident, with the caller asking for personal details or an administration fee to proceed.

The spokeswoman added: “Whilst online scams continue to grow, that doesn't mean offline scams aren't also on the rise.

"Some of these scams target specific individuals, while others involve people being called at random. Some involve phishing, a type of scam in which the caller is trying to find out information that can be used in other crimes.

“We want to make local people aware that scammers are becoming more inventive and, if something sounds too good to be true or out of the ordinary, it could well be a scam.

"We always strongly recommend never giving your bank details or paying for something over the phone that you're unsure of, especially if the call you receive is the first time you have heard of any payment that needs to be made.”

Read all the latest from Barrhead and beyond