Con artists have stolen more than £1.2m from victims in the north east of Scotland over the past three weeks.

Those targeted fell victim to a scam called 'vishing' where money is transferred from their bank accounts.

Police said a "small number of victims" had been robbed by the fraudsters, who pretended to be bank staff.

Detective Inspector Iain McPhail, of the Economic Crime and Financial Investigation Unit, said: "Scams like these are completely sickening, with the criminal at the other end of the phone having no regard for their victim and the devastation their actions will cause.

"Pension pots and retirement funds can be stolen within a matter of minutes, with hard-earned savings wiped out without warning."

DI McPhail warned that banks would never call customers to ask them to move money between accounts.

He said: "Let me be clear that banks will never make phone calls like this asking you to move money, in particular into a foreign account.

"If you do receive such a call, hang up and call police immediately.

"You wouldn't hand over your life savings to a stranger on the street, so you should never consider transferring money to a stranger on the other end of a phone.

"Banks will also never ask you to personally attend your local branch and make a transaction to a safe account."

Last year, Scottish Premiership club Hamilton Accies lost nearly £1m in a vishing scam.

Anyone with concerns about scam calls should call police on 101."