Almost as fast as the torch relay, lottery letter fraud is first Olympic scam to hit Warwickshire

The letters illegally use the London 2012 and Olympic logos and tell recipients they have won £205,000 - and all they have to do to receive the money is return their personal details by fax.

In reality, these details are being forwarded to criminal gangs operating abroad.

The criminals then use this information to carry out identification theft and often ask recipients to send more money before they are able to claim non-existent prizes.

The letters use false names and addresses, with ‘virtual’ 0207 phone numbers, bought by businesses to give the impression they are based in London.

Warwickshire County Council’s trading standards officers expect this to be the first of many Olympic-related scams this year.

Warwickshire county councillor Richard Hobbs, who is responsible for the trading standards service, said: “Although this lottery letter is the first Olympic related scam we have seen in Warwickshire, there are others circulating so it is unlikely to be the last.

“You should never reply to letters like these, you will only be targeted further; we advise you to bin them straight away.”

How to spot a scam Olympic lottery letter:

• Poor quality reproductions of the Olympic logos often indicate bogus information.

• Any request for a fee payment to collect winnings is a good indication of fraud.

• Other than ticket sales and official London 2012 merchandise, it is unlikely the Olympics will be asking people to pay for goods or services.

• If you have not entered the lottery, you have not won the lottery.

If you are in any doubt about the London 2012 letters, visit the London 2012 website which has an updated list of the latest frauds.

For more information on scams or trading standards, visit the trading standards website or call Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.