LUCKILY Jenny Chalk had her wits about her when she was targeted by a telephone scam. But she is worried others might not be so wary.

When Jenny got a call from a cheery girl telling her she had won a holiday - but had to pay £199 to claim it - she smelt a rat.

The caller claimed to be from Jenny's favourite magazine, Take A Break.

Jenny, 60, is one of many Take A Break readers across the country who have been targeted by the tricksters.

The pensioner, of Oldbury Court in Millbrook, received the call as she and her husband, Stuart, were sitting down to dinner last week.

The woman, calling herself Michelle, told Jenny she had won the runner-up prize in a competition. The prize was a holiday in Europe for six people worth £6,000, plus a luxury weekend away in the UK.

She asked Jenny to give her credit or debit card details over the phone, as she had to pay £199 for the prize.

"She told me if I didn't register, there were another 100 people in line to receive the prize," said Jenny.

"I always enter Take A Break competitions, but they confirm prizes with a letter and then ask you to call them, so I thought it was very fishy."

The mother-of-three and grandmother-of-one contacted the Daily Echo in a bid to warn others. She said: "I want people to be wary. I would hate anybody to fork out money they can ill afford to some scam.

"Once they have your bank details, they could take more than £199. It's wicked."

Take A Break are warning their readers about the hoax on their website. The warning says: "Some of our readers are being phoned by tricksters who say they have won prizes and ask them to send money or bank details. This is nothing to do with Take A Break and we strongly advise you ignore them. We have informed the police who are now investigating."