A woman has urged people to be aware of scammers after being threatened with a fake arrest warrant.

Anita Guymer became the latest person to be targeted by scammers claiming to be from HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) after being told a warrant had been issued for her arrest.

The 56-year-old said: 'I got a phone call and they said they were from HMRC and told me if this was my name to press one because there was a warrant out for my arrest.

'I did and I was put through to a woman who said they had a file in front of them with my name on it because I owed £2,400 in unpaid tax and that I needed to contact my solicitor and accountant.

'I told her I didn't have a solicitor or accountant and she started going off reading the terms and conditions. I didn't understand what she was saying but I thought this was quite an issue.'

Mrs Guymer, from Kessingland, was left shocked and confused by the phone call.

The retired administrator said: 'I worked for the NHS and they dealt with all my taxes, so this was the first I was aware of it.

'I got a bit upset and I didn't know what to do. I just had visions of the police breaking down my door.

'I rang the police and they said it is a scam but a lot of people are falling for it because it is April and the end of the tax year.'

Last month, HMRC urged households with a landline number to be vigilant of phone calls from fraudsters, while Suffolk Police issued similar guidance in November after officers received around 100 calls from concerned residents.

In most cases, scammers have claimed to be from HMRC stating that the person involved owes payment for a fine.

Often this includes leaving a message on answer phones asking the public to call to make payments, threatening arrest for non-payment and requesting iTunes vouchers or bitcoins used to pay the debt.

The scammers then ask the recipients to call them to make payment or read the codes off the back of vouchers.

A spokesman for Suffolk police said: 'Residents should put the phone down on these callers and no money or vouchers should ever be handed over as these are scam calls.'