Terrible ordeal of 85-year-old conned out of £4000

An 85-year-old from Carlton was contacted on Wednesday by someone claiming to be from HMRC telling her she owed tax dating back to 1969, and that if she didn't pay, the police would come and arrest her straight away.

They demanded her mobile number and kept her on the phone for most of the day.

She was instructed to go to the supermarket and buy iTunes vouchers.

When challenged by staff, she did as the caller told her, and said they were for a relative.

She was instructed to read the card numbers out to the offender on the phone which she did, but suspecting something was wrong mentioned the experience to a neighbour who called the police.

She was then contacted by the suspects yesterday who said they would send someone round to pick up the vouchers.

Officers have put measures in place to protect her but believe the offenders are abroad.

Police say scams like this are increasingly common and encourage retailers to challenge people with unusual requests.

HMRC say they will never request tax debts to be paid in payment vouchers.