SHOPPERS are being warned about a conman selling stolen vouchers.

One victim, a disabled Blackburn resident, who asked not to be named, bought a £50 Argos voucher at a discounted price on Sunday afternoon.

The 55-year-old woman was approached outside Morrisons in Railway Street at 1pm by a man claiming to have exchanged a mobile phone for the gift card.

However when she went to use it at the town centre store, bosses told her that it had been stolen and could not be used.

She said: "I feel such a fool. I want to warn other people to prevent them from being conned.

"The man told me he had bought a mobile phone and tried to take it back but because he'd had it for 16 weeks he could not get a cash refund and was given vouchers for which he had no use.

"He had a receipt and it all seemed above board so I bought £50 worth of vouchers for £20. I thought it was a bargain in the run up to Christmas but when I went into the store they said they were not valid and had been stolen from the counter. They said four or five other customers had also bought the vouchers."

She added: "I'm disabled and don't have much money and just feel really stupid for believing this story. I don't want anybody else to become a victim like me."

Blackburn Town Centre sergeant Rachel Baines said: "I urge people not to buy anything from people selling things on the street because the chances are that it's not legitimate.

"If anybody sees anything suspicious or is offered a voucher at a discounted rate they should also contact police."

An Argos spokesman said: "Argos takes incidents of this nature very seriously. We have every sympathy for individuals who have fallen victim to this deception but the public should be suspicious of items not sold from a legitimate source.

"Argos gift vouchers are only available in our stores and not available from other sources.

"Argos electronic gift cards have the transaction number printed at the till when the voucher is purchased. The card is useless unless activated at the till at the time of payment."

The offender is described as white, between 28 and 29 years old, tall, slim build with dark hair and wearing an old leather cap.

If you can help, call Blackburn Police on 01254 51212 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111.