This in from the council, in my own words. Ed
A resident at a care home received a letter claiming to be from the People’s Postcode Lottery, stating she had won £825,000. To claim her prize, she needed to contact a number and pay a £200 processing fee.
The real People’s Postcode Lottery says it will not under any circumstances request a payment to receive any prize and if anyone receives a letter, email or text message claiming to be from them, they can call 0808 1098765 to check with their customer service team if it is genuine.
The letter states the winning ticket was drawn as part of its international programme held in Madrid, Spain.
This is a scam and residents should never give out personal bank details. The resident who received the letter did not provide any personal details or pay any money.
Targeting elderly residents
Julie Woodhouse, the council’s principle trading standards officer, said:
“Although this method of scam is well known and most people would recognise it as fake, we still see victims especially when the scammers claim to be from a genuine organisation such as the People’s Postcode Lottery.
“This scam appears to be targeting elderly residents in care homes, so we would encourage all homes, family members and friends of elderly people to be vigilant to ensure they do not fall victim.”
The letter claiming to be from the People’s Postcode Lottery contains poor English grammar and is signed by ‘Baron Wheels’ who is listed as the President of the company.
If anyone receives a letter, they should contact the council’s trading standards service on (01983) 823370.
Image: © Isle of Wight Council
