A FRAUDSTER who tried to trick an elderly man in Alcester out of thousands of pounds by buying iTunes vouchers failed when staff at the post office realised he was being scammed.

The victim, who lives on Hertford Road, received a telephone call on Tuesday, June 7 from someone allegedly from Her Majesty's Revenue and Customs.

He was instructed to purchase £4,000 worth of iTunes vouchers as soon as possible in order to settle a tax bill.

The resident thought the request was genuine and went to Alcester Post Office to purchase the vouchers.

Police have praised staff at the post office who then contacted Action Fraud, UK's national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre.

Vanessa West, who has worked at the post office for seven years, said: "I knew straight away, as soon as he wanted that many, it was a scam.

"I explained to him gently and I showed him the posts on the Warwickshire Police website. 

"There are a lot of these warnings on social media but the people that are being targeted read the newspaper," she added.

No money or private details were exchanged with the offenders.

Similar frauds have occurred in the area using the iTunes vouchers.

Anyone with information is urged to contact Warwickshire Police on 101.