Gardai are warning about a scam tricking people into buying iTunes gift cards.

In recent weeks, a victim in Co Galway was scammed out of 2,200 euro, while two people fell victim to the scam in Wicklow and Tipperary and were conned into buying over a thousand euro worth of the vouchers.

In Dublin, a person attempted to buy 1,000 euro in iTunes gift cards at a supermarket, before a staff member became suspicious and contacted Gardai.

The scam involves people receiving a phone call or voice mail from someone claiming to represent an organisation which they claim the victim owes money to.

They insist payment is required, and suggest the payment can be made by buying iTunes gift cards from a retailer.

Once the victim has bought these cards, the scammers ask them to read out the 16-digit code on the back of the card over the phone, and the scammers then use this code to purchase goods online.

Gardai are warning people to be vigilant, and say no company will request payment via iTunes or any other online vouchers.

If you receive a call like this, the advice is to end the call and contact Gardai.