A HERO taxi driver foiled a scam to take £500 from a customer when he overheard a strange phone call.

Cabbie William Laing was called to take a woman from her home in High Valleyfield to a supermarket in Alloa.

However, the 45-year-old was alarmed by the nature of the trip when she said she needed to put £500 on a gift card to rectify a mistake on her bank account.

Suspecting it was a ruse to steal her money, he persuaded her to hang up the phone and immediately called the police.

Mr Laing, owner of Prompt Taxis in High Valleyfield, said: “The phone call had scam written all over it. I already thought it was a bit strange that someone wanted to be taken all the way to Morrisons in Alloa and back again because that would cost you about £60.

“It didn’t seem right, especially when she said it would only take her two minutes. When I picked the lady up she was on the phone to someone with broken English, who said ‘don’t say anything to the cab driver about this’.

“It seemed like a scam to me as he continued to stay on the line the whole time, but I couldn’t quite grasp why she was going to Morrisons.

“However, I gestured her to cut the call and asked what was going on.”

The woman had been told that there was a security breach on her account and that £1,800 has been paid to eBay and £500 had been paid to another person.

The man had asked who she banked with and then said he was the customer relations manager for Santander. To rectify the account, she would need to put £500 on a gift card and then give him the details of the card.

“Thankfully she hadn’t gone through with the transaction,” Mr Laing added. “When I rang the police the call handler agreed and told the lady it was a scam.

“But the person wouldn’t stop calling her after that. I think the lady just got flustered and panicked when she heard that money had been taken from her bank account.

“It shows if you get a strange phone call, you shouldn’t just keep going along with it. The number was strange and I assume it was from outside the UK.”

Mr Laing’s heroic efforts were uncovered when Fife Council posted on social media to warn other taxi drivers about the scam.

Donald Jenks, enforcement officer, praised the cabbie for his quick thinking. He said: “Thankfully this driver, through discussion with the lady, realised it was a scam and the police were contacted and a crime prevented.

“While it isn’t part of their primary role, I hope that drivers who have concerns of a similar nature would take steps to protect vulnerable passengers by advising they contact the police, bank or a family member as appropriate to ensure that don’t become the victim of a scam.”

A Police Scotland spokesperson said: “Scammers like this actively target elderly and vulnerable members of our communities and often sound extremely convincing.

“However, please be mindful that no legitimate finance company, bank or organisation will ever cold-call to request your personal information, or ask you to make payment in the form of gift vouchers etc.

“If you receive a call like this, please hang up and contact police immediately. Our website has a range of useful crime prevention advice available by visiting www.scotland.police.uk.”