WHEN Alan Shuter had a phone call to say he was owed thousands of pounds he could not believe his luck.

The unemployed 54-year-old, of Park North, was thrilled when he was told he was owed the money in payment protection insurance (PPI) payments and all he had to do was transfer £150 from his account.

But when the company started asking for more money, Mr Shuter became suspicious and is now urging others not to fall for the phone call, which he has informed Trading Standards about.

“It sounds too good to be true and it is easy to fall in,” he said.

“I don’t want any elderly people caught up in this. They took me for £150 and have since asked me for another £140.

“I think it is a scam. I honestly thought it was genuine, hence me paying out £150, which I can’t really afford to do. They said the next £140 was for tax.”

Mr Shuter has not seen any of the money he was promised and has not been able to get his money back from the company, which goes by the name of UKASH.

When he tried to phone the number, which he believes was from India, it would not work.

The initial phone call started with the company telling him his name and address and that he was owed money in PPI payments.

“They said ‘congratulations we have taken on your claim’. They were going to send a courier around with the cash,” he said.

“The courier never came. They phoned me and said I needed to go back to the paypoint and transfer another £140 into their account. Then I became suspicious and phoned Trading Standards.

“It was totally over the phone but I have had some paperwork through. This is not a complaint, it is a case of warning people this is going on.

“If you haven’t worked for two years and someone says they are about to give you that kind of money, it makes you think ‘yes, I’ll do that’.

“I got ripped off and hey-ho, but I don’t want anybody else to get ripped off.”

Earlier this month Wiltshire Police issued a warning after a pensioner was scammed out of more than £8,000 when he was told he had been mis-sold payment protection insurance.

PC Tom Ellerby said: “It is really important that people realise very little is ever given for free, and anybody asking for money to beat a loophole in advance of a handsome payout is likely to be trying to deceive you.

“If you are unsure whether something is genuine, seek advice from people you trust or your local Neighbourhood Policing Team.”

To report a suspected scam call Wiltshire Police on 0845 408 7000 or Trading Standards on 01793 466155.