AN ELDERLY man has warned others to be careful of fraudsters after strangers tried to con him into handing over cash.

Dennis Manville, 80, from Hollingdean in Brighton recently received a suspicious phone call from someone asking him for his bank details.

He said: “A woman called me, I have no idea where she was from, and claimed that I had been overcharged for having my windows replaced and needed to be paid back.

“And I thought hang on a minute, I haven’t had my windows replaced for about 20 years. What is she on about?

“She said please give me your bank details so we can pay the money we owe you.

“I knew something was a bit strange and I said if she owed me money then she needed to send me a letter because I will never give out my bank details.

“Lots of people are relieved of their hard-earned cash and it goes to these people sitting on their telephones all day trying to get it.”

In a separate incident, Mr Manville said when he left his home to go out for the day a man was standing at his door telling him he needed to replace a tile on his roof.

When he returned home, he had a knock on the door and the same man said he had fixed it for him while he was out.

Mr Manville, a retired shoe repairer, said: “I came home and he said right that will be £250 please, I’ve fixed your tile.

“But I looked up at my roof and all my tiles were still covered in the usual moss, no sign of any thing having been done.

“Also I always keep my patio below very clean and there was no moss on the floor. It was quite clear he had done nothing. I told him that was a very expensive price for ‘what he had done’ and he reduced it to £80.”

Mr Manville said he then went inside and the man followed him.

He started to call his brother for advice and the fraudster panicked.

Mr Manville said: “It was quite funny really, he was shouting at me who are you calling, who are you calling, then he ran to the front door which I normally keep locked and he shouted ‘you’ve locked me in!’.

“I’m not as gullible as they think I am you see. It would take a lot to try and get some money out of me.”

Mr Manville used to have a shoe repairing business in Montefiore Road, Hove.

When he was still working there a man attempted to rob him of his till.

Mr Manville, who was then about 60, said he had the intruder, who claimed he had a knife in an arm lock before he knew it.

He said: “I frightened him to death. He’s lucky I didn’t kill him to be honest for that. These people think they can get away with it but I won’t let them.

“But I do worry about others that are vulnerable and don’t necessarily pick up on things because it’s a big problem.”

Sussex Police say if people spot a scam or have been scammed, they should report it and get help by contacting Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or 101 if they know the suspect or they are still in the area.

A police spokesman said: “Don’t be embarrassed about reporting a scam. Because the scammers are cunning and clever there’s no shame in being deceived. By reporting it, you’ll make it more difficult for them to deceive others.”