A pensioner has issued a warning to other elderly people after being duped out of more than £4,000.

Ajit Puri, 73, of Whitton, received a call from a man two weeks ago claiming to be calling from the City Tax Office to inform the pensioner he had won £7,000.

All Mr Puri had to do to receive the money was to make a £125 donation to a charity in India, the man on the phone told him.

But over the past two weeks Mr Puri received further calls from different people, claiming to work in the same office, who told him his money would be sent out, but further deposits to the charity – via Western Union – needed to be made first.

In total the father-of-two, who recently suffered a mild heart attack, ended up wiring £4,000 to the suspects before becoming suspicious and contacting the police.

He said: “I’m very cautious and careful. This time I don’t know how I got duped. I want other people to be protected from these things.”

He was told by police it would be unlikely he would get the money back, as the crime had taken place outside the UK.