Huthwaite woman warns of online lottery scam

A Huthwaite woman is warning people to beware of a scam claiming to be from the '˜International Postcode Online Lottery'.

Yvonne Davies received a letter this week telling her she had won £900,000 on the lottery, though she had never bought a ticket.

Mrs Davies, 67 said: “It rang the alarm bells straight away.

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“I Googled it online and it flashed up that you were advised to ring the fraud squad straight away

“The letter gives you a phone number to ring to claim your money.

“But I was advised that it was a premium line number which could leave you with a £180 bill.

“I don’t think I am the only person around here who will have been sent one of these letters.

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“I was told that they tend to target elderly ladies who live on their own.

“I would hate it if an old lady or vulnerable woman fell victim to them.”

The badly composed letters that are sent out state they come from Melbourne, Australia, alongside details of how to claim your prize money.

The fraudsters say: “This has been the biggest ever played in the world which aimed at changing the lives of millions of people.

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“Please to help us proceed with your claims, this information must be kept away from public to avoid unwarranted abuse of the program or fraudulent acts from criminal minded and unauthorized person(s).”

A police spokesman said: “Officers have received reports of letters being received by victims, claiming to be from the ‘International Postcode Online Lottery’.

“The letter explains that in order to collect their winnings, people must call a number and give their bank details and pay a small admin fee.

“Police would like to remind people to be cautious when giving out personal details and to report any suspicious letters.”

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Anyone who thinks that they may have been a victim or anyone with further information regarding the scam contact Nottinghamshire Police on 101 or Crimestoppers anonymously on 0800 555 111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org or use the website https://www.actionfraud.police.uk/