A handful of dust is all you will get if you respond to a letter promising genuine gemstones according to York trading standards officials.

Frank Slater, of Heworth, York, with the letter from Australia. Picture: Frank Dwyer

Frank Slater, of Heworth Green, York, did not get excited when he received the letter from Australia telling him he had won a collection of genuine gemstones including rubies, emeralds, and sapphires, ready to collect on payment of £19.97.

He immediately decided the letter was a con when he read the wording.

"It has been indicated to us that you recently requested a product, service and/or entered a sweepstakes through the mail/post.

"If this is correct and you are currently residing at the address printed above - congratulations!" it said.

The letter, from the Certified Confirmation Center, in Nerang East, Australia, stated a package containing a minimum of five brand new jewellery pieces was waiting to wing its way to Mr Slater if he paid up during the next 15 days. But he did not take up the offer.

He said: "I immediately thought it was a scam because the Evening Press has covered lots of similar things before about people sending money away and not receiving anything back.

"I wouldn't have responded, anyway, I've got more sense than that, but there are some gullible people out there who might do and I wanted to warn them."

Colin Rumford, head of trading standards at City of York Council, said: "This type of letter was kicking around in the mid-Seventies when I first joined and it looks like someone in Australia has dusted it off and decided to try it out on us poms.

"These things are usually what they say they are, but you get a bit of dust which is a bit of ruby or sapphire or emerald in a piece of cheap metal.

"We've had no complaints about it as yet, but we would expect to get some as these things are distributed.

"My advice would be that you don't get anything for nothing and for £19.97, you can't expect to get a valuable gem.

"What people may receive is a cheap gold-coloured ring with a speck of opal in it and it is just rubbish."

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