A rise in scam letters promising guaranteed prizes in a Spanish lottery has sparked a warning from West Yorkshire Police.
The valueless "winner" letters ask for up-front fees for "administraton" or "processing costs" to claim the prize or to cover "taxes" and are invariably a method of extracting cash or vital personal and financial information.
In many cases, peopl
e have been asked to send bank account details and/ or identification documents which could be used for fraud, said police.
HAVE YOU CHECKED OUT THE YEP'S NEW COMMUNITY WEBSITES?Click here for a full run down of the 12 sites launched to date - all featuring ultra local news, sport and entertainment.In reality, the prize does not exist and nothing has been won. It is believed that the letters are posted at random to members of the public.
Det Sgt Stephen Battle said police are working to tackle the problem.
"If you believe you have been subject to a lottery fraud you can contact Consumer Direct on 0845 4040506 or via the internet at
www.consumerdirect. gov.uk," he added
"If you receive such a letter, ask yourself, how could I win a lottery prize if I haven't bought a ticket?"
The full article contains 206 words and appears in EP Leeds First & County newspaper.
