Here's how to protect yourself from the latest 'Amazon' phone scam sweeping Edinburgh

Edinburgh residents have been warned to be wary of a new phone scam which in fraudsters use the threat of Amazon Prime charges to hack into bank accounts.

New guidance has been issued to Edinburgh residents to avoid being caught in the phone trap.

A phone security firm says Edinburgh residents should hang up if they receive an unexpected phone call claiming you have been charged for an Amazon Prime subscription.

The recipient is often told fraudsters have hacked their account to authorise the transaction, but that the payment can be cancelled if they 'press 1'. Callers are then connected to 'account managers' who trick people into revealing their bank details.

The warning comes as viewers of Channel 5's 'Cold Call' drama see the horrific aftermath of falling victim to telephone fraud.

CPR Call Blocker 's, Chelsea Davies, said: “Sally Lindsay’s characters story in ‘Cold Call’ is hard-hitting, but sadly it does portray the reality that many people are being targeted by scammers and the sophistication of telephone scams in the UK is ever-increasing.

Protect yourself

"We hope that by highlighting the latest and most common types of scams out there, people will be more savvy when it comes to saying ‘no’ to unwanted callers.”

Advice from the firm to residents urges people to register with the free Telephone Preference Service - which prevents unsolicited marketing and sales calls - and using a call blocker device.

Concerned phone call recipients are also advised to contact their bank or card provider as soon as possible, and to regularly check bank statements for unusual charges and transactions.