A woman who fell victim to a ‘handyman scam’ has spoken out in the hope of saving others from a similar fate.

The Harrow resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, made contact with the fraudsters via an online ‘buying and selling group’.

After arranging the details for the building work, two men visited her property where they set about completing the task.

They explained that they needed to buy some materials and asked for £800 to cover the costs, which she duly handed over.

The two men then left in a white Ford Transit van bearing an Irish number plate and failed to return.

“I was very naïve in handing over the money and I know I’m not going to see it again but I want to warn others about this scam,” the woman said.

“Lots of people have messaged me saying that they had encountered the same thing and that it’s a shame that I didn’t come across it beforehand.

“I’ve no doubt they’ve tried it on several times and when they were out they kept messaging me asking for even more money.

“They use lots of different names and are continuing to post online. I just want as many people as possible to be aware of the issue.”

She added that they made “a mess” of her garden, leaving a number of large holes, and that, as a result of the scam, she is wary about letting others in to come and fix this.