COVENTRY Trading Standards officers are urging residents to be extra cautious for World Cup related lottery scams.
People are being warned to look out for bogus letters or emails that claim to be part of the Euromillions FIFA World Cup Super Lottery.
Councillor Phil Townshend, cabinet member for corporate and neighbourhood services, said: “Most scams like this can be recognised because they are received out of the blue, promising something for nothing and usually requesting money up front.
“A question to always ask yourself is ‘if you’ve never entered into a competition, how can you have won?’
“This scam is based on the well-known Spanish lottery scam which Trading Standards has warned about in the past and their advice is to bin any such mailings.
“You should never respond to such requests and should certainly never give personal information such as back account details. Remember, if an offer seems too good to be true, it usually is.”
Mike Lynn, of Coventry Trading Standards, added: “We have received a number of enquiries concerning this mailing which claims that the recipient has won £800,000 and asks them to forward bank account details for the prize money to be paid into.
“The mailing also contains a warning, asking the recipient to keep their win quiet and should not be publicised in any way so as to prevent fraudulent acts from the criminally minded.”
For more information on how to recognise a scam visit www.coventry.gov.uk/tradingstandards.
If you believe you may have been a victim of one of these scams or would live advice, then call Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06.
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