PEOPLE in Clydebank are being urged to make friends and family aware of a new mobile phone scam attempt.

According to Police Scotland's Argyll and West Dunbartonshire division, there have been reports of a number of residents being contacted as part of a similar scam.

The message claims – falsely – to be from a trusted friend or family member, often a son or daughter, who has supposedly recently changed their phone number and needs money to pay for food or to meet an outstanding bill.

Police say the message will come from a mobile number that the recipient doesn't recognised.

PC Laura Evans from Argyll and West Dunbartonshire Community Engagement Team said: “Should you receive a request like this, our advice is to simply phone your friend or family member on the original number that you will have for them – not the new one provided – to confirm if this is a genuine request.

“We can all do our part to help protect those who may be more vulnerable to this type of scam. This may be due to old age or mental impairment such as dementia, through passing this message on to those who may not be aware of this scam and may not access social media.

“I would ask that you not only be aware of this scam yourself, but that you pass this message on to as many people as you can either through a phone call to someone you know, sharing the message on social media or popping over to your neighbour to make them aware."