Wiltshire Police are warning people across the county about a lottery scam after an elderly woman was duped out of more than £2,000.

The woman received a letter in the post telling her she had been selected at random to win a large cash prize in a foreign lottery.

In order to receive her prize the woman, from Harnham, Salisbury, was asked, more than once, to send a cheque for a substantial sum of money to overseas accounts in Australia and Canada.

PC Mark Littlewood of the Neighbourhood Policing Team said: “The offenders behind scams such as this one prey on the vulnerable members of our society.

"I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anyone with elderly relatives or neighbours to warn them about engaging in dialogue with these people and to remember that if it seems too good to be true it normally is.

"Often victims of fraud are too embarrassed to contact police because they feel that it is somehow their fault for being taken in.

"It’s important to remember that these people are cunning and the more people report these crimes, the more likely it is that the offenders will be identified.”

Anyone wishing to report an incident such as this can contact Wiltshire Police on 0845 408 7000 or Crimestoppers on 0800 555 111 where information may be left anonymously if preferred.