THOUSANDS of York residents have been told today that they might have won a 'lockdown lottery.'

A leaflet posted to homes says there is a 'guaranteed winner in lockdown draw, brought to you exclusively by Lockdown Lotteries.'

It then suggests people should ring 01904 553800 to 'claim your prize.'

But then, overleaf, it states: "This is a scam, brought to you by Trading Standards to show you how easy it is to fall for a scam."

It goes on to tell residents to be aware of people offering or selling coronavirus testing kits, which it says are only offered by the NHS, and vaccines or miracle cures, as 'there is currently no vaccine or cure.'

But it also warns people to beware shopping or medication collection services, and offers to clean people's homes of coronavirus.

"If you are unsure, check with family and friends before accepting offers of help. Don't assume everyone is genuine. It's OK to reject, refuse or ignore any requests..

"Don't be rushing into making a decision, if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is."

It says that for advice on scams, people can call trading standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0800 22311 or emailing public.protection@york.gov.uk.