STAFF at a popular pub fell victim to a sneaky scam after a man claimed the pub owed him money for guttering work.

The man entered The Swan Inn on Barbourne Road and told the bar managers he had completed emptying the gutters and the premises owed him money.

The owner of the pub, Ryan Maund, said the venue was under renovations and various people were hired to help with the work.

READ MORE: Tealith Bubble Tea to open a new store in Worcester

He said the scammer provided the bar manager with an invoice detailing accurate personal details of his and even offered to show her the work he had done.

However, Mr Maund had not hired the man, and no guttering work had been completed.

Mr Maund said: "Him knowing my name and how he went in, his mannerisms and the way he portrayed himself was very believable."

The bar manager paid the scammer £88 and the scam was only discovered later after they spoke on the phone. 

Mr Maund added: "Everyone is struggling in this day and age, and the cost of everything is increasing.

"We are trying to keep costs as low as possible, and there are people scamming us.

"We are a small independent business - we are not a brewery pub - it is just me.

"I do feel bad for the bar manager as she has become a victim of this, and it is not her fault, he is an experienced scammer.

"It was all very believable."

READ MORE: Post Office's new owners make changes

Mr Maund said the bar manager often dealt with invoices for the business, so dealing with transactions like these was not uncommon.

After the scam, the owner said he told his fellow pub owners and was surprised that their businesses had experienced the same scam recently. 

Mr Maund is now urging other businesses to be careful in a bid to prevent further people from falling prey to scammers. 

"We learnt the hard way, and we move on from this," he said.

"Anyone with information, please report it to the police before he does anything worst to businesses."

A spokesperson for West Mercia Police said: "Shortly before 11pm on Saturday, April 15, we received a call from a business on Barbourne Road in Worcester that they had been a victim of fraud. 

"Enquiries are ongoing."