Police are urging people to be vigilant to postal scams after an 83-year-old man was defrauded out of more than £15,000.

The man, from Kennington, received a letter informing him that he had won the Spanish Lottery back in July this year.

The letter went on to state that in order to claim his prize, he needed to pay some expenses and taxes to both the Spanish government and EU before funds could be released.

Over the past three months, the man made four payments totalling 17,646 euros. The matter came to light when the man’s bank grew concerned and told the man to speak with the police.

The matter was eventually reported to Thames Valley Police on Wednesday.

PC Ben Wilson said: “This sort of crime exploits the most vulnerable people in society, preying on their good nature and expectations.

“Fraudsters hide behind the identities of companies, government bodies and legal organisations to try to legitimise their scams.

“In this case the victim has been left extremely upset by the incident, but wants us to publicise what has happened so that no one else falls into this trap.

“Sadly, this type of scam is not uncommon, but there is a lot of work being carried out by Thames Valley Police and other agencies to crack down on the criminals behind them.

“If you receive a letter or any other sort of communication that you feel is not legitimate, please do not hesitate to contact Thames Valley Police.”

Anyone with information about this offence, or who wants to report a suspected mail scam, should contact the 24-hour Thames Valley Police Enquiry Line on 0845 8 505 505.

Alternatively, you can contact the Crimestoppers charity anonymously on 0800 555 111.