Fraudsters are attempting to scam people out of their money with a flu jab scam, the NHS has warned.

NHS England and NHS Improvement have asked the community to "be vigilant" after an elderly woman lost £5,000 in the scam.

According to NHS England, the East of England have been "alerted to an issue" where a patient was contacted by a person purporting to be a GP working at their local practice.

In the bogus call, the scammer said for a fee a GP could attend their home to administer a flu jab.

The caller advises that your doctor's surgery has a shortage of staff and so they have an arrangement with them to offer the flu jab on their behalf - and the fee is £1.50.

The caller then asks for bank details to secure the appointment.

In a post shared by Victoria Road GP surgery, in Lowestoft, the surgery urged the community to "please be aware" of the scam and not be tricked.

A spokesperson from NHS England and NHS Improvement, said: "If someone claiming to be from the NHS contacts you by phone and asks for payment, please be aware they could be a criminal trying to trick you.

"Most NHS services are free at the point of use and NHS professionals are very unlikely to ask for fees such as prescription charged by phone. "We advise you not to share bank account details or other financial information unless you are sure of who you are talking to.

The NHS urged anyone who received the call to report the scam to NHS fraud.

"You can report any concerns or suspicions you have about fraud or corruption within the NHS or wider health group to the NHS Counter Fraud Authority by calling our free 24 hour confidential fraud reporting hot line powered by Crimestoppers on 0800 028 4060.

"You can also make a report to the NHSCFA using our online NHS fraud reporting tool."

If you have been affected by a scam, contact the Norfolk Scams Prevention service on 101 followed by x5483 or 03454040506 for the Suffolk Trading Standards.