Ayrshire residents are being warned of a new scam in which vulnerable people are tricked into paying bogus debts using iTunes gift cards.

The fraudsters claim to be from reputable companies, organisations or government departments.

Victims are being contacted in a variety of methods and told they owe an outstanding debt or are due a refund and are asked for payment in iTunes gift card voucher codes.

Action Fraud, the UK's national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime, have received reports of hundreds of these types of incidents happening across the UK in the past month including North Ayrshire.

Inspector Jim McMillan said: "We have had incidents reported in North Ayrshire recently and are raising awareness on the issue in an effort to prevent further people falling victim to this scam.

"The scammers don't need the physical card to redeem the value and instead get victims to read out the serial code on the back over the phone.

"We are appealing to everyone, including shop staff, to look out for the more vulnerable in our communities and to contact us if they believe they or someone else may have fallen victim to scams."