Warning over People’s Postcode Lottery scam letters

The scam letters have the branding as well as the logo of the People’s Postcode Lottery. Each letter claims that the recipient’s postcode has been chosen at random from the electoral roll database.

It further claims that your “prize” is part of a programme which awards money from previously unclaimed prizes.

This leads people who have never even played the lottery to believe that they don’t need to be an existing player to win.

Consumer magazine Which? says there are several giveaways indicating that the letter is not legitimate, the first being that the letter is from a London-based address that isn’t listed on the People’s Postcode Lottery’s website.

Which added: “Next, you’re asked to contact a specific person at a made-up financial services company – we’ve seen examples including ‘Coral & Reed Financial Services’ and ‘Ultimate Financial Services’.

“A quick search on Companies House reveals that these companies don’t exist.”

Those receiving the letter asked to call a number to claim their prize. At this point the scammer will ask them to provide personal information, which is likely to include bank account details.

Which? has contacted the People’s Postcode Lottery who confirmed the letter is a fake and that winning postcodes can be checked on its website. The website is updated every day.

Royal Mail provides a form which can be used to report scam letters. This can be submitted this online or sent to Freepost Scam Mail. Reporting scams is a huge help to Royal Mail who investigate them.

Which added: “This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of scam.

"Previously, scammers have imitated the People’s Postcode Lottery via dodgy emails, which were used to phish for personal information.”

Anyone who receives any sort of suspicious communication claiming to be from the People’s Postcode Lottery, is advised to contact its customer services team on 0808 109 8765.