Postbox conmen

IN the nine months since this newspaper’s investigation into how vile confidence tricksters were using the postal service to fleece elderly and vulnerable people out of huge sums of money, we are delighted to say the Royal Mail has stopped one million fraudulent letters reaching British homes. These callous conmen – many based abroad – ruthlessly target the frail and those with dementia, persuading them to buy unlicensed medicines, pretending to be clairvoyants who can protect them from evil spirits, or offering a big prize which can be collected only by sending money in the post. Some victims parted with £100,000.

But while we congratulate the Royal Mail on finally cracking down, we deeply regret it took so long. For years the service insisted it was legally obliged to deliver any addressed post and could not intercept and open letters, even if they were believed to be ‘scam mail’.

Thankfully that policy has now changed – but sadly too late to prevent countless old people being cheated out of their life savings.