US conman targets pensioner

The Hailsham pensioner was telephoned by a man, who claimed to be calling from Seattle, at lunch time on Monday. He told her she had won 22,500 and that an American courier would bring the cheque to her home at 4pm.

However, he said the winnings could only be dispatched if the 82-year-old paid 700 into a bank account within the hour.

Unable to afford the asking price, the pensioner pondered the issue and even considered asking the bank for a loan before the man phoned back to ask why the payment had not been made.

After explaining her situation to the man, he went away to 'speak to his superiors' and came back with a new offer: pay 525 into the account and the courier could be sent on his way from Seattle.

'He was asking where her nearest airport was because the courier would need to get to her by 4pm,' said the woman's daughter. 'But it's an eight hour flight from America there's no way anyone could get from Seattle to Hailsham between lunch time and 4pm!

'It's lucky she didn't have the money because I know she would have gone up to the post office and paid it in, if she did. The amount of money that he was offering would set her up for life so it all seems very attractive. These conmen are absolutely heartless.'

Inspector Rex Matthews of Hailsham police said that no similar incidents had been reported lately but such scams like this go on all the time.

'It's worth remembering that if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is,' he said. 'If you haven't even entered a competition, it's highly unlikely that you will have won a prize like that.

'If they're asking for money before they give you your prize, it's probably a scam. This is not how bona fide companies operate.'

He added: 'There are some very mean people out there. It wouldn't prick their conscience to scam an old lady out of her life savings. There are always scams like this going on and some are global.'