Scammers are targeting households with fake People’s Postcode Lottery letters
Fraudsters are sending out dodgy letters claiming recipients have won thousands on the People’s Postcode Lottery.
This isn’t the first time we’ve seen this kind of scam. Previously, scammers have imitated the People's Postcode Lottery via dodgy emails, which were used to phish for personal information.
Read on to learn about how this scam works and how to report it.
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Postcode lottery scam letter
If you receive a letter claiming you’ve won thousands on the People’s Postcode Lottery, it’s important to take a moment to check you’re not being targeted by a scammer.
This scam letter includes the People’s Postcode Lottery logo and branding. It claims that your postcode has been randomly selected from the electoral roll database and says your 'win' is part of a programme to award money from previously unclaimed prizes. It uses this story to justify why you don’t need to be an existing player to win.
There are some giveaways that this is a scam. First, the letter is from a London-based address that isn’t listed on the People’s Postcode Lottery’s website. Next, you're asked to contact a specific person at a made-up financial services company – we've seen examples including ‘Coral & Reed Financial Services’ and 'Ultimate Financial Services'. A quick search on Companies House reveals that these companies don't exist.
The letter askes you to call a number to claim your prize. This is the point at which the scammer will ask you to provide personal information, which will likely include your bank account details.
Which? contacted the People’s Postcode Lottery and it confirmed the letter is not genuine. It said winning postcodes can be checked on its website, which is updated daily.
Reporting scam letters
Royal Mail provides a form that you can use to report scam letters. You can submit this online or send it to Freepost Scam Mail. Reporting scams helps Royal Mail investigate them with the relevant authorities.
If you receive suspicious communication claiming to be from the People’s Postcode Lottery, you can contact its customer services team on 0808 109 8765.
