An 85-year-old man has been conned out of thousands of
pounds after responding to prize draw promises.
The retired local businessman wants to remain anonymous
following his experiences responding to unsolicited mail over a
three-year period.
North Somerset Trading Standards, together with the local
police, removed bags full of mail estimated to be several thousand
letters which will now be investigated. The local man was
encouraged to purchase items for £20-£30 a time to 'guarantee' his
prize draw cheque. Having responded once, he was regularly
bombarded with more offers and promises that he was a confirmed
prize winner. He did not receive any large payout only small
worthless free gifts such as a rubber tooth cleaner and an incense
burner.
Helen Heskins, Senior Enforcement Officer for Trading Standards
said: "Having met this self-assured gentleman it is easy to see
that anyone can fall for scams. The style and layout of the
literature led him to believe that the scam material was totally
legitimate.
"The harm is not only financial, this con seriously undermines a
victim's confidence and creates such embarrassment that even family
and friends are kept out of the loop."
Cllr Peter Bryant, executive member responsible for trading
standards, said: "Scam mail is nothing more than blackmail which is
carefully targeted to make you feel you have been personally
selected. The perpetrators often operate outside the UK and cheat
thousands of people out of their money. Don't be tempted to respond
and most importantly don't send money to obtain a 'prize draw'.
"If an offer appears to be too good to be true it's almost
certainly because it is too good to be true."
There are a number of ways to reduce the amount of junk mail
received, such as contacting the Mail Preference Service.
For more advice about scams and consumer matters you can call
Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06, or the Mail Preference Service
on 08457 034 599.
