AN ALERT has been issued to Borderers after an 87-year-old man was conned out of hundreds of pounds in a telephone scam.

On Friday, June 2, the male received a message after missing a call from the number 001843 843845.

The message claimed to be from HMRC and stated that an arrest warrant had been issued for him. The man tried to call the number back, but it would not connect.

The following day, the man was called from 02037697847, and answered to a male, described with a Pakistani accent, claiming to be from HMRC, who passed him onto a 'supervisor'.

The other male, who spoke with better English, told the gentleman there was an arrest warrant for him.

The caller went on to explain that if he purchased £500 in iTunes gift cards from Tesco, then the warrant would be cancelled.

After purchasing the vouchers, the man returned home and called the man back and provided him with the serial numbers on the card.

The caller went on to request a further £1,300 in vouchers, at which point he became suspicious and terminated the call.

Police Scotland have also released details of a second scam, in which a female resident received a letter claiming she could be entitled to inheritance that has lay dormant for some time in Asia.

The letter was printed on plain white paper and only provided a contact telephone number in Malaysia and a personal Gmail address.

A statement from Police Scotland said: "Unfortunately a lot of scams are directed at the elderly and vulnerable in our community and processes that immediately raise suspicions to some are not as obvious to others.

"Payment by itunes vouchers or contact details such as Gmail address may not raise suspicions if you don’t know what they are.

"In all circumstances if you have any suspicions at all end the call. Wait at least five minutes and if possible use another phone before trying to contact the company back.

"Never use the number provided always use the number you would usually use to contact the company. Never give any personal details out on the phone."

An HMRC spokesperson said: “HMRC takes security extremely seriously. We are aware that some people have received telephone calls from individuals claiming to be from HMRC.

“We have a well-known brand, which criminals abuse, to add credibility to their scams.

“We recommend that if you cannot verify the identity of a caller that you do not speak to them.

“We encourage you to check GOV.UK for information on how to avoid and report scams, recognise genuine HMRC contact and make payments to HMRC.”

For advice on how to spot scammers, and how to protect yourself, plus vulnerable family and friends, visit: