Police in Fife are urging the public to be vigilant following a report of a telephone scam in the Glenrothes area.
On Sunday April 22 a woman received a phone call from a caller claiming to be from a claims advisory service and that she was owed over £3,000 in PPI.
The caller asked the woman to purchase £300 in iTunes vouchers to pay associated lawyers fees.
But when the caller phoned back asking for the codes from the iTunes vouchers, they also stated the woman would receive over £13,000 and that she would need to pay a further £780 in fees.
The caller asked the woman to transfer the funds via the Western Union bank, at which time the woman finished the phone call and reported the matter to police.
Inspector Joanne McEwan, from Glenrothes Police Station, said: “I would remind the public to be aware of these type of scams as the criminals can be very convincing.
“Official companies will never ask for payment in iTunes vouchers.
“We would ask that businesses are vigilant to people purchasing large sums of vouchers, and not to be afraid to query the customer on their purchase.
“The public should be wary of callers who call out of the blue, offering generous pay-outs in cash. If it sounds too good to be true, then it likely is.
“Never be frightened to question the caller on their legitimacy, and if you are in any doubt, finish the call immediately by hanging up. You can always check the company name online and phone them back to ensure you are speaking with the genuine firm.
“We would ask that people make friends and relatives aware of these sorts of scams, and be wary that these criminals often target the elderly and vulnerable.”
More information on keeping safe online can be found on the Police Scotland website here.
