Protect Yourself from Scams, Warns AM after Shotton man targeted with bogus Health Lottery letter

Alyn and Deeside AM Carl Sargeant wants to raise awareness of how to spot scams after a concerned constituent approached him for help.

The constituent from Shotton had received a letter purporting to be from the Health Lottery claiming he had won £300,000.

The letter put pressure on the constituent to phone a London number to contact Blackhorse Financial Group no later than November 30, who would take five per cent of the ‘winnings’ to make his claim.

Having not played the lottery the constituent was rightly concerned and forwarded the letter to Mr Sargeant’s office for advice.

“I’m glad my constituent contacted me as I was quickly able to confirm with the genuine Health Lottery that this letter was indeed a scam and should be destroyed,” said Mr Sargeant.

“The Health Lottery said they never send letters to inform customers that they have won a prize.

“You should always be suspicious if you get a letter from a service or company you don’t use. Other signs to look out for are poorly reproduced logos, spelling and grammar errors, a mobile number in place of a landline and a PO Box address instead of a proper address.

“In this instance there was an address and landline, but the logo was distorted and the grammar was faulty, and there was incitement to act quickly – another common sign of an attempt to commit fraud.

“It is important that vulnerable people are made aware of what to look out for so that they don’t fall foul of such scams.”

More advice on avoiding scams is available on the websites www.citizensadvice.org.uk, www.getsafeonline.org and www.actionfraud.police.uk. Anyone who thinks they may have imparted confidential information to scammers should report it immediately by calling Action Fraud UK on 0300 1232040.