Postal scam letters, seemingly offering people the chance to win large amounts of money in online football lotteries, have been received by households in the isles.
Lerwick resident Andrew Chalmers is one person who has received a letter, said to be from the “International FIFA World Cup Online Lottery, Australia”.
He said he googled the name and was immediately alerted to the fact the organisation was being investigated by the Suffolk Police fraud action department.
Some letters give a false London contact while others, purporting to be from the “Euromillions FIFA World Cup Super Lottery, Switzerland”, give a false Aberdeen address.
SIC trading standards team leader David Marsh said similar scams had been operating for years, and it was generally just the name of the lottery which changed from time to time.
He said: “The main thing to remember is that you can’t possibly be a winner in a lottery which you didn’t enter.
“As always, we’re very happy for people to contact us if they’re concerned or unsure about any such letters, phone calls or emails which they receive.”
If anyone has any queries they can contact the SIC trading standards department on (01595) 744887 or email trading.standards@shetland.gov.uk