A MID ARGYLL pensioner is thousands of pounds out of pocket this week after falling victim to a lottery scam.
five-figure sum from his bank account after receiving a fraudulent letter claiming to be from the Spanish lottery. The letter said he had won money, but that he had to first send off a certain amount to claim it.
The pensioner is the latest person in the area to fall for the scam, and Sergeant Martin Balkeen of Strathclyde police, Lochgilphead, said that other people in the area have lost four-figure sums after replying to the convincing letters.
He added: ‘I would urge people to throw these letters straight in the bin, as they are fraudulent.
‘The people behind this scam get names and addresses from the electoral register. As the envelopes have Spanish stamps on them, Royal Mail is obliged to deliver them.
‘The whole of the UK is being targeted by this and I would ask people to look out for elderly residents who might receive these letters.’
