AMBULANCE man Pete Jordan has ripped up all his credit cards and opened new bank accounts after falling for a internet scam.

Mr Jordan, who is 41 and lives in Paignton, was fooled into giving out personal details by a bogus email he thought had been sent by internet and email giant Microsoft.

Within hours of being tricked out of his details, Mr Jordan's friends started receiving emails asking for $8,500 to be sent to him immediately in Nigeria to help him get home.

Mr Jordan, who has a separate email account with another company, even received one himself. The email told him he was in West Africa on business and had been robbed in his hotel of $35,000.

The email said friends should keep trying to send the money if it didn't go over first time.

The email went to hundreds of Mr Jordan's friends, including team-mates at Torbay Hockey Club, Paignton Rugby Club and Chelston Cricket Club, where he used to be captain.

Mr Jordan, a married man and father of one who is based at Torquay Ambulance Station, said he had avoided having his bank account emptied by the tricksters, but had lost irreplaceable photographs stored in a digital 'vault' on his Microsoft account.

"Everything I had in my Microsoft account has gone and there is no way of getting it back," said Mr Jordan, who coaches one of the youth teams at Paignton Rugby Club.

"I had team pictures and action photos of all the boys going back several years and they have gone now.

"All my email contacts have gone as well because I am locked out of my own account.

"Luckily, I haven't lost any money, but it took me six hours to cancel everything and make new arrangements with my bank and credit card companies."

Mr Jordan said he was taken in by the fake email, which said his details were required as Microsoft was changing the name of its accounts.

"I was asked to put in my details, did it and sent it," said Mr Jordan.

"When I tried to get into my account the following morning my password had been changed."