Money back for con victims

In June last year the National Trading Standards Scams Team and Royal Mail launched a bid to seize responses to mail scams before the cash reaches the criminals behind them.

So far some 6,000 items of mail have been intercepted across the UK with more than £108,000 returned to victims. A further 4,000 replies to suspected scam mail are currently being examined.

Crucially, victims receive their money back from a Trading Standards officer who visits to make sure the person understands they have been scammed, and to check on their welfare.

Prize draw scams are notorious for targeting the elderly and other vulnerable people, who are less likely to realise that the mail is a scam.