ORGANISED criminal gangs are increasingly targeting pensioners to try and get their hands on the pension pot put aside for their retirement.
Scottish Government Justice Secretary Michael Matheson said that fraudsters were turning their attentions to retirees following changes introduced in April last year which allowing them to take a lump sum out of their pension.
He made the warning as fresh figures showed that almost 3000 organised crime gang members were arrested in Scotland in the last year, while the number of gangs dropped from 232 to 196.
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Mr Matheson was discussing changes to the nature of organised crime which have become apparent in recent months.
Mr Matheson said: "One of the things that can happen when there is a legislative change is that they can adapt to try and exploit those changes.
"So for example, last April when the pension laws changed where people could draw down parts of their pensions, some of the serious and organised crime groups started to move into financial services, and started moving into providing independent financial advice in order to exploit individuals.
"So they will adapt to opportunities as they come along."
He added that criminals would pose as financial advisors to those taking lump sums from their pensions and encourage them to put the money in funds which could then be exploited.
The Cabinet Secretary said: "In some cases they would actually take the money from individuals as well. They will adapt in changes to different things in the market in terms of products, but also to opportunities that change around financial management."
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He was speaking at Police Scotland's Crime Campus in Lanarkshire as he launched the Scottish Government's annual report on organised crime.
It revealed that almost £9 million was taken from individuals and companies involved in criminal activity during the past 12 months, while
Nearly £7 million of counterfeit goods, including fake cigarettes, clothing, cosmetics and medicines, were seized in Scotland.
The crime gangs are involved in a wide range of illegal activities, including drug dealing, prostitution, the human trafficking of children for slave labour, fraud, money laundering, immigration crime and organised theft.
The report said that up to two-thirds of crime syndicates were involved in seemingly legitimate businesses, chiefly licensed premises, building and construction companies and taxis.
Mr Matheson said: “Since we refreshed our strategy last year there has been a significant amount of work, across a huge range of partners, to reduce the harm caused by serious organised crime to Scottish communities.
"The threat from serious organised crime continues to evolve and we are adapting our approach to try to meet these emerging threats head on.
“Tackling organised crime is about much more than police raids and court trials. We need to work collectively, in our communities to tackle the harm caused by serious organised crime, to stop the cycle of deprivation and, crucially, give those involved in these activities the chance to turn their lives around."
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Police Scotland Deputy Chief Constable Johnny Gwynne said that organised crime was a constantly shifting target.
He said: "Organised crime is a challenge for us here in Scotland and is a challenge right across the UK. It is multi-dimensional, it is not just manifest in the manufacture of counterfeit goods."
"The people involved in organised crime today are not the people who will be involved yesterday. It changes all the time and it a constantly morphing problem.
"We need to be nimble with the capabilities we have been given by government to keep ahead of that problem."
He added: "Understanding where organised crime is going next [is the biggest problem]. Our intelligence systems need to be working at their peak. We need to be able to penetrate organised crime groups, and need to understand where they are taking their business next to get ahead of us."
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