Four years on...and Mum’s lottery crooks are STILL at work

FOUR years have passed since my mother Helen thought she had struck lucky in an international postcode lottery and won £900,000. Although Helen was convinced her life was about to be transformed, it wasn’t to be. It was a nasty scam – a ploy to defraud people by either getting them to send money in return for a bogus cheque or to provide key details about their bank account (making them vulnerable to fraud). At the time, I visited the address of the London office given in my mum’s winning notification, only to discover it had been demolished to make way for a new hotel and luxury apartments.

Sadly, letters about similar scams keep coming. Among the latest recipients is Philip Stevens, 69, a retired engineer from Hereford. Like Mum back in 2019, Philip was told he is a winner in the International Postcode Online Lottery (IPOL) – and that a cheque for £825,000 (not £900,000) is waiting for him. But unlike Mum, Philip wasn’t taken in. Says Philip: ‘I remembered your article from 2019, so I knew it was a scam straightaway.’

Last week, I contacted David Lee, the gentleman named in Philip’s letter who would help process the winning claim. Masquerading as Philip, I gave Mr Lee the details requiring confirmation – winning reference number, Philip’s address and my phone number. He then said he would speak to the ‘payments department’ and come back to me which he duly did. ‘Have you won before?’ he asked. ‘No,’ I replied. He said he would process the winnings and ring me the next day.

Mr Lee did indeed ring, saying the cheque was in the post. As soon as I got it, he said, I would then have to call to get a code. Without this, I would not be able to bank the cheque.

The next day, the nature of the fraud was revealed when Philip received a letter purportedly from the International Monetary Fund (yes, the IMF!) It said he would have to pay stamp duty on the winnings before the cheque (already in the post, according to Mr Lee) could be released. A sum amounting to £1,650, payable by contacting Mr Lee.

Yes, the internet is awash with warnings about IPOL. But surely, it Is not beyond the country’s fraud protection agencies to stop these despicable scams – and for those involved (the Mr Lees of this world) to face the full force of the law.