Police are warning residents to be cautious if they receive a telephone call informing them they have won a lottery or prize draw.

The victims receive a phone call congratulating them on winning the 'big prize'. However, before they can claim the prize, victims are told they must send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. Often these calls are repeated and the victims are asked to send further sums. People have lost thousands of pounds through such schemes. The prize doesn't exist, and the 'winner' never receives any winnings in return for their cash. Often, the elderly are targeted with this scam and advised not to tell family and friends about their alleged "win".

In one instance an 86-year-old Rotherham lady was contacted by telephone and informed she had won £400,000 on the Spanish/Canadian lottery, and that she would have to send £1,800 to release the winnings. Having sent the initial sum of money she was contacted again on over 15 occasions persuading her to send in excess of £32,000 to locations in Madrid, Spain and Ottawa, Canada. Police have already been able to link this case to  numerous other victims all across the UK.

In another case, a 91-year-old Rotherham man was contacted by telephone and informed he had won a substantial sum of money, but that he would need to send £4,000 to release these winnings. Fortunately for this gentleman, he was right to be suspicious and did not send any banking or personal information to the fraudster.

To protect yourself against lottery fraud:

• Never respond to any such communication. If you haven’t entered a lottery then you can’t have won it. Official lotteries in other countries operate in much the same way as the UK’s National Lotto.  No official lotteries that we know of contact people to tell them of their win.
• No official lottery operators will ask for fees to collect winnings.  Any request for a fee payment is a good indication that someone is trying to defraud you.
• Never, ever disclose your bank details or pay fees in advance.
• Scammers may provide contact details to respond to. Be very suspicious of email addresses such as @hotmail.com or @yahoo.com or phone numbers beginning with 07 because these are free and easy to get hold of.
• Genuine lotteries thrive on publicity. If they ask you to keep your win a secret it’s likely to be a fraud.
• Many fraudulent lotteries have bad spelling and grammar – see this as a warning that fraudsters are at work.

What should you do if you’re a victim of lottery fraud?

• Report the scam to Action Fraud via www.actionfraud.org.uk or on 0300 123 2040, or to South Yorkshire Police on 0114 2202020.
• If you have responded, break off all contact with the fraudsters at once.
• If you have given the fraudsters your bank account details, alert your bank immediately.
• Be aware that you’re now likely to be a target for other fraudsters, as they often share details about people they have successfully targeted or approached.
• People who have already fallen victim to fraudsters are particularly vulnerable to a scam know as fraud-recovery fraud. This is where people who have already lost money through fraud are contacted by people claiming to be law enforcement officers or lawyers. They advise the victim that they can help them recover their lost money – but request a fee.