A fraudster who tried to con an elderly man out of thousands of pounds was thwarted by suspicious bank staff who stopped the victim withdrawing cash.

Aaron Wiltshire, 31, of Page Crescent, Slade Green, attempted to convince the victim - aged in his 90s - that he needed to hand over money for work to his home.

Maidstone Crown Court heard a man knocked on the victim’s front door in Old Perry Street, Northfleet on January 17 last year claiming to live nearby.

He said there was a problem causing his water to turn brown, and he thought it may also be affecting him.

Two days later, a different man knocked on the victim's door and claimed there was a problem with the victim’s water which would require a lot of specialist equipment.

This man, later identified as Aaron Wiltshire, said it would cost around £9,000 to repair.

The victim gave the man his mobile phone number and later that day he received a call from a man discussing the repairs.

The man told the victim he would need a £3,000 deposit, and believing the man, the victim went to the NatWest bank in Gravesend to withdraw the money. But staff would not release the funds as they felt it was suspicious.

The following day, Wiltshire visited the victim’s home and took him via a number of taxis to banks in Dartford to withdraw funds up to £1,700. Returning to his address, Wiltshire then told the man that he wanted more cash.

The victim told Wiltshire he had no further money and wrote out a cheque for £19,800, which Wiltshire took before leaving.

Later that night the victim was contacted by an officer at Kent Police. The victim then cancelled the cheque and his cards.

The next day Wiltshire went back to the victim’s address asking why he cancelled the cheque.

The victim told him that he did not wish to go ahead with the work. The man was also told that solicitors would be contacted over the breach of contract. Wiltshire then ripped up the cheque before leaving.

Following an investigation by Kent Police, Wiltshire was identified through CCTV and was arrested and later charged with fraud.

He has now been jailed for four years after being found guilty by a jury of two counts of fraud by false representation, with an additional four weeks for breaching a suspended sentence.

The judge praised the bank staff for their actions.

Investigating officer PC Colin Bassett said: "Wiltshire preyed on a vulnerable man on numerous occasions pressurising him to hand over thousands of pounds of cash without any care for the victim.

"I’d like to echo the judge’s sentiments and commend the staff at the bank for stopping the first large transaction and passing on their concerns. Had it not been for those staff then this case would have had a very different outcome and who knows where it would have stopped.

"If anyone thinks they have been a victim of fraud or believes someone they know may be being targeted then please do get in touch with Kent Police so officers can investigate fully."