VIGILANT staff at a Tesco store in Poole stopped a man from falling victim to an HMRC scam.

The Purbeck resident, who is on his 60s, was contacted by phone and told he owed the HRMC £1397.

He was told if he did not comply, his driving licence would be revoked, bank accounts shut down and his car would be seized in order to pay the debt.

The victim was then told to go to Tesco and purchase £1400 worth of iTunes vouchers and a courier would collect them.

He was also told to keep his phone switched on for an hour-and-a-half.

Staff at Tesco who became suspicious alerted the police.

A spokesperson for Purbeck Police said: “Please be aware and advise your friends and family. Anyone can be the victim of a scam.”