A PENSIONER was nearly conned out of £4,000 by a telephone scammer pretending to work for Visa.

Police have issued an alert following the incident, involving an 82-year-old woman from New Milton.

Officers say they received a report that the woman was called by someone claiming to be from the ‘Visa Fraud Department’.

The caller claimed that there had been fraudulent activity on the victim’s bank account.

He asked her to go to her bank and transfer £4,000 of her savings into another account for safeguarding.

When the woman went to her bank, staff suspected it might be a scam and the matter was reported to the police.

No money was lost.

A spokesperson for Hampshire Police said: "We would like to remind people that banks will never contact you in this way. It is a scam.

"If you do get a call from someone who claims you need to withdraw money from a bank, hang up and report it, using a different phone line.

"Make a note of the date and time of the call, and the number, if available – this information could help any future investigation.

"Never reveal your bank details or give personal information to people who cold call.

"If you know someone who could be taken in by such a scam, please take the time to speak to them and give them this advice."

You can find out more about this type of scam and how to protect yourself against them by visiting the Action Fraud website: www.actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040.

If you or someone you know falls victim to this type of offence, please report it immediately to police on 101, or 999 if a crime is in progress.