MONMOUTHSHIRE County Council’s (MCC) trading standards officers have received increased reports about advance fee fraud: a scam which involves an up-front payment for a promise of wealth, money from wills, gifts, prizes or employment.

Fraudsters contact their targets by mail, phone, fax, or email.  This type of scam, originally known as the ‘Spanish prisoner letter’, has operated since at least the sixteenth century.

Sue Hollin, Monmouthshire’s advice, interventions and intelligence officer said: “This kind of crime manifests itself in many ways. For example, you may receive notification that you’ve won a large amount of money and in order to claim it you must send a substantial fee to release the cash. Needless to say, once the fee is paid you’ll hear nothing further.  

“Another favourite scam is to send someone an email describing an implausible series of events abroad and offering an alluring reward if help is given to transfer money out of the country.  Again, this entails the unsuspecting making a series of payments they’ll never see again. In addition, we’ve heard of clairvoyants who will increase your wealth, happiness, love life, professional or personal success for a small fee, while promises of a dream job that never materialises come with demands for payments to cover taxes, visas and anti-terrorism certificates.”

Trading standards officers report that Monmouthshire residents have received telephone calls from a fraudulent organisation calling itself UK Claims Government Advisory Group. Residents were told they were owed £3,600 from a government fund but to receive the refund they had to send a moneygram for 10% of the total to the organisation to cover expenses. Those who respond will almost certainly fall victim to this scam - and there’s also the likelihood that they will be targeted as part of a ‘suckers’ list when fraudsters share or sell their contact details to like-minded criminals.

Trading standards officers advise that money transfer is a favoured method of payment for advance fee fraudsters and that people should never send money via this method to someone they have never met.

Leader of MCC Peter Fox commented: “If a promise seems too good to be true, it most probably is too good to be true.  People should be aware that these fraudsters will stop at nothing to swindle our community so we need to be vigilant if offered an unexpected and tempting opportunity of wealth.”

Residents who believe they have been targeted or are concerned that they may have responded in the past should call the Citizen’s Advice Consumer helpline on 03454 04 05 06.