A GRANDFATHER who narrowly escaped the clutches of a "convincing" text scammer is warning others to stay vigilant.

71-year-old James Barnett nearly handed over a flood of personal information after receiving a text message from a fraudster pretending to be the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA).

The Shipton Bellinger resident admits he was "totally convinced" by the message, which claimed he was owed £48.84 by the agency for an outstanding vehicle tax refund.

The message also contained a link to an official looking DVLA page, which asks for a range of personal information.

However as the grandfather-of-ten prepared to enter his personal details into the website, he began to become suspicious of the text message and decided to ring the agency.

After spending around an hour and a half attempting to call the DVLA, he was finally told that the authority do not send out text messages.

He said: "I was quite shocked when they told me they didn't send out texts.

"When someone says they are going to give you £40 you are going to take it aren't you?

"I really didn't think it was a scam to start with.

"It looks very official."

Luckily for Mr Barnett, he had not entered any details at this point, and instead contacted Action Fraud.

The national crime reporting agency, who deal with fraud and cyber crime, has since launched an assessment into the incident.

However Mr Barnett, a retired farmer, says he also wants to warn others about this scam and others like it.

He said: "These scams are very convincing.

"They look totally legitimate.

"People should be careful when giving out their personal details - particularly when the DVLA have said they don't send out text messages."

A spokesperson for Action Fraud said: "We can confirm that we received this complaint on 24 March and it is currently being assessed by the City of London Police’s National Fraud Intelligence Bureau.

"The assessment by the NFIB takes around 28 days."