THE Melksham community are being warned to be vigilant and double check any mail received from the People’s Postcode Lottery following a number of scam letters in the area with news of big money wins.
After news last month that residents in Littlejohn Avenue had won the People’s Postcode Lottery, scooping £30,000 each, fraudulent letters claiming to be from an agent acting on behalf of the People’s Postcode Lottery have been received by residents across Melksham, informing them that they have won a substantial prize.
One letter received by a Melksham local, who has never played the postcode lottery, tells them that they have won £385,000 and to collect the money they must call a finance company based in London.
“The communications from these crooks looks so genuine,” said cllr Martin Pain. “Everyone should be very careful if they receive emails, text messages and letters from companies purporting to be agents of the postcode lottery.”
Rachel Ruxton, head of communications at People’s Postcode Lottery said, “People’s Postcode Lottery is aware that sometimes illegitimate individuals and organisations will attempt to use our lottery’s brand to gain access to information or details supplied by unsuspecting members of the public.
“People’s Postcode Lottery takes such matters very seriously. If you receive one of these letters, phone calls, SMS messages or emails, then we strongly advise the public to treat these communications as scams and they should be ignored.
“Legitimate lotteries, such as People’s Postcode Lottery, will not under any circumstances request a payment in order to receive your ‘winnings’. If you are at all suspicious, then contact our customer service team on 0808 1098 765.”
You can report a scam to the national fraud reporting centre at www.action fraud.police.uk.