The woman had shared information about her missing dog online and it's believed that the scammers took advantage of this.

Gloucestershire Constabulary is asking members of the public to please be vigilant after a Stroud resident was targeted by scammers claiming to be from the RSPCA.

Police were called late last night after a woman received a call from someone claiming to be from the RSPCA.

The fraudster stated that they had found her missing dog and required payment for treatment as it had been involved in a collision.

The caller realised that this was a scam and did not part with any money but was concerned that others may fall victim to this.

The woman had shared information about her missing dog online and it's believed that the scammers took advantage of this.

Residents are asked to be vigilant to scam calls and remember that organisations such as the RSPCA will not ask for payment over the phone.

Anyone else who believes that they have also been targeted by this scam is asked to please contact police online using the following form and quoting incident 602 of 7 June: https://www.gloucestershire.police.uk/tua/tell-us-about/cor/tell-us-about-existing-case-report/ 

Alternatively, you can call 101 and quote the same incident number.