Convener targeted in scam claim said he won £400,000

A council convener has been targeted by lottery scam claiming he had won £400,000.

Councillor Sandy Park yesterday hit out at the con and urged others not to be duped by the unsolicited letters informing them they are winners of the Euro Millions.

The Highland Council convener received a letter claiming to be from Michael Maxwell, vice-president of Euro Millions Commonwealth of Nations Online Lottery’s Head Office in Pall Mall, London advising him that he had won £400,000.

The letter advised him to contact the foreign service manager of Travelex Finance Company urging him to divulge a range of personal and financial details in order to claim his prize.

Councillor Park immediately contacted the authority’s trading standards office and passed the details on to them for investigation.

He said: “I knew immediately that the letter was a con as I have never bought a Euro lottery ticket.

“However, as it appeared to be so convincingly written with so much detail I could see how other people might easily be tempted to reply to it, so I contacted Trading Standards.”

Gordon Robb, Highland Council trading standards manager, said: “The letter was a scam, and unfortunately is one of many that will have been received by people up and down the country on a daily basis.

“The letter that Councillor Park received is a very convincing fake.”

He added: “It is important that people are wary of unsolicited mail claiming to offer prizes or awards. “If in doubt bin it and certainly never give your bank details or otherwise respond to suspect e-mails or letters.”