Lotto junk mail is balls

July is Scam Awareness Month and judging by the readers who contact me, many old snares remain rampant.

I routinely get asked about junk mail cons – with one reader wanting to know if he’d really won a lottery. The crooks behind these use different names such as European Health Lottery or Euromillion Lottoland but can’t be bothered to change the “winning” numbers on their letters – it always seems to be 4, 13, 21, 27, 36, 38 and 45.

Just as common are scams saying you’re entitled to an inheritance from a previously unknown relative.

“I’m 99% sure it’s fake,” said the latest reader to forward one to me. It claimed to be from a British barrister, but the dreadful English included gems such as: “I am Attorney to a late client who share same last name with you, Who died and left behind £7 million Pounds.”

Then there are tax refund letters and emails, which try to get you to reveal bank details.

The latest one I’ve seen claimed to be from HM Revenue and Customs handing out refunds – but was sent from a Yahoo account.