WARNINGS have been issued by police to be on the lookout for fraud attempts after an elderly person was advised to pay £2,000 to fix a scratch on her car door.

Bridport Police has issued a warning to residents after an elderly person was approached by two women in a Lyme Regis car park.

The two women claimed that the resident had damaged her vehicle, pointing to a scratch on one side. The resident was unconvinced as the car park was quiet and they had parked their vehicle with ease.

One of the women told the resident that due to the small amount of damage it would not make sense to go through an insurance company and estimated that it would cost around £200 to fix. She told the resident she would get a quote and call them.

The resident received a phone call from the woman later that day, stating that she had been given an estimate for the damage and she would need a car door costing £2,000. The resident was shocked but remained sceptical and reported the incident to the police.

A spokesman for Bridport Police said: "Local drivers are warned to stay vigilant as similar car scams have been reported in other parts of the country with thieves claiming fellow motorists have damaged their vehicles purely in a bid to obtain cash from them.

"Bridport Police advise motorists to report scams or attempted scams to the police and Action Fraud."

To contact Dorset Police call 101 for non-urgent matter or use the report online facility on the Dorset Police website. Action Fraud can be contacted on 0300 1232040 or via https://crowd.in/FIIKNy.