FRAUDSTERS conned more than £700 out of an 85-year-old Guernseywoman by telling her she had won $1m. in a lottery.

The police fraud department is warning people to be aware of such a scam and that unsolicited contact, whether by phone, letter or email, could be an attempt to trick people into sending cash.  ‘We just want people to be aware and we don’t want others to fall victim to this type of thing,’ said Detective Constable Graham Goude.

The pensioner was contacted last week by telephone and told that to claim her prize she must pay taxes in the country of origin. She was instructed to send the cash via the Moneygram system used by Guernsey Post. Believing the call to be genuine, she sent £212.

The woman received three more calls instructing her to send cash via Moneygram to Panama City and the Dominican Republic. She eventually sent a total of £722.