A dishonest duo who stole over £200k from people across Scotland have been caged.

Derek Moore, 42, was jailed for 13 years and six months and Julie Ann McQuade was sentenced to two years and six months for offences including fraud, theft, and impersonating a police officer.

The pair were sentenced at the High Court in Edinburgh on Tuesday, September 24, following a 'large-scale fraud investigation' across the country.

The duo pleaded guilty to the fraudulent scheme on Friday, May 31.

According to the force, work by officers in Ayrshire led to their arrests after properties were searched in Hamilton and Rutherglen in February 2022.

READ MORE: Woman and four horses tragically die after serious crash on busy road

In total, cops say the criminal pair are responsible for the theft of over £214,000 from members of the public across the country.

Moore and McQuade called members of the public while pretending to be cops, alerting them to fraudulent activity on their account.

During the phone calls, personal questions were asked for security reasons, allowing the pair access to the bank account in question.

READ MORE: Child, 12, caught with 'extendable baton' amid incident

Detective Inspector Ross Black who led the enquiry said: “Moore and McQuade targeted the elderly and vulnerable members of our communities, and it is right that they will now face the consequence of their despicable actions.

"We want to take this opportunity to remind members of the public to be aware of scams and take precautions to avoid becoming a victim.

“These scams are not always easy to spot and anyone can be fooled. These criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations, and the police.

"Often they have details about a person they shouldn’t convincing people they are legitimate.

“If in doubt hang up and contact the bank using the phone number on the back of your card or official paperwork.

"If the caller is genuine, they will understand your hesitation, don’t feel pressured to handing over details or withdrawing money.”

A spokesperson for Police Scotland added: "Anyone who thinks they may have fallen victim to a scam is asked to contact 101."