Bogus callers are posing as GP surgery staff to con vulnerable people out of cash.

NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent says several patients have been phoned by someone pretending to be from a local GP surgery.

In some cases, they've even asked for credit card details.

The primary care trust says health professionals would never ask for financial information over the phone.

The caller gives the impression they are from an official NHS source and asks about the patient’s medication.

In some cases they have then claimed the patient would benefit from Pomegranate tablets and asked for credit card details.

One woman in her 80s thought she was talking to a GP surgery and gave her details and later found £179.50 deducted from her account.

When her son tried to trace the call back it came from a company based in India.

NHS Eastern and Coastal Kent’s assistant director of medicines management Alison Issott said: "No NHS health professional would ever ask for a patient’s credit card details over the phone.

"We would urge anyone who is suspicious of the calls not to give out personal details and to contact police."