AN increasing number of elderly Dorset residents are falling foul to telephone scams.

North and East Dorset Rural Police said they had seen a rise in reports of ‘HMRC’ scams since Christmas.

The scam sees callers tell victims that they owe tax and there is a warrant out of their arrest.

People are also urged to beware of another scam in which people receive a call from someone purporting to be an officer from the Metropolitan Police telling residents they have been the victim of a banking scam and need to transfer money to a certain location.

A spokesperson for North and East Dorset Rural Police said: “There are numerous scams, and they go in and out of fashion, each time changing slightly.”