CRIMINAL hackers tried to steal a £10,000 grant being sent to a small Borders business, according to the Scottish Government.

The offenders hijacked an application to Scottish Borders Council (SBC) for a coronavirus business support grant.

Scottish justice secretary Humza Yousaf called their actions "abhorrent".

He said: "A business falling victim to one of these scams could be disastrous, especially if they are already struggling, and could ultimately lead to them stopping trading."

Details of the fraud attempt were discussed by Scotland’s Serious Organised Crime Taskforce this week.

The body heard that a suspected organised crime group tried to divert the £10,000 grant to a separate bank account.

However, the council's checks meant it was alerted to the scam and money was not paid out.

Police Scotland's assistant chief constable Angela McLaren said: "It is important that everyone protects themselves and remains vigilant.

"Be aware that a telephone call, email or text may not be from the person or organisation it appears to come from.

"Never click on a link from an unsolicited email or text, and remember that the banks and the police will never ask you for personal banking information or ask you to move funds to a safe account."

The crime taskforce, chaired by Mr Yousaf, discussed cases of criminal exploitation during the pandemic.

The Scottish Government has made £10,000 grants available to small businesses, with SBC responsible for allocating funds in the Borders.

An SBC spokesperson said: “Thanks to the vigilance of staff processing applications for the business support fund we were able to identify early an application which was fraudulent and alert Police Scotland.

“Through our work with the Organised Crime Task Force this experience was shared with relevant partners to increase awareness and vigilance.”