Douglas South MHK Sarah Maltby is urging the public to remain vigilant after a scammer impersonated her in an attempt to defraud an elderly man.

Mrs Maltby revealed the incident in a post on social media on Friday, describing it as a ‘difficult but important’ warning to share.

She said she was contacted on Wednesday, August 30 by an elderly gentleman who wanted to confirm where to send a gift card he believed she had requested.

Mrs Maltby immediately recognised the message as a scam and strongly advised the man not to send any money.

‘I was really worried he may have already sent something,’ she said, adding that she later phoned him again to check he was safe and to offer support.

The following morning, Mrs Maltby received a call from the Salvation Army, who confirmed they had been working with the man for two years in conjunction with the island’s Safeguarding and Wellbeing team.

He has previously been the victim of multiple scams and had lost a significant amount of money.

The organisation had become aware that Mrs Maltby’s name was being used fraudulently and supported her decision to raise public awareness.

The MHK said the scam was particularly concerning as the gentleman was not even a constituent of hers, yet the use of her name and title alone had been enough to make the message appear trustworthy.

‘The email address being used has my name within it and may be giving the impression it is legitimate,’ she said.

Mrs Maltby is encouraging anyone who receives suspicious emails claiming to be from her or any other politician to report them to the police.

Her official government email address is: [email protected] and can be contacted on 01624 651524 / 07624 491712.