A PENSIONER wants to warn others after fraudsters tried to con him out of thousands of pounds.

Arthur Staines, a resident of Bocking, was contacted on Thursday by scammers claiming to be from Her Majesty’s Revenue and Customs.

Mr Staines, 86, said: “The phone rang and it told me to ring this number. When I did they told me it was HMRC and I owed them £4680.

“I was a bit wary about it because he said they had tried to contact me which I was sure they hadn’t.”

Mr Staines, who lives on his own and recently lost his wife, says if he was not quite as headstrong he may well have fallen for the scam without realising what had happened.

He said: “It was worrying because and the man told me if I did not pay then they would have started legal proceeding and it could cost me £15,000. Luckily I realised it was a scam.

“I want to warm people to be careful. There could be some people who do not question it as much as I did and end up very out of pocket from what these people try.”

HMRC advise people not to give out private information, reply to text messages, download attachments or click on any links in emails if you’re not sure they’re genuine.

The government department is aware of this specific type of scam and it is believed that elderly people are targeted more frequently.

If you are concerned, visit http://bit.ly/1UPWxBW.