TRADING standards chiefs today warned North Yorkshire residents to be on their guard against another flood of letters promising big money prizes.

The letters tell householders they may have won up to £1,010 in cash or even a Mercedes.

But lucky winners have to spend up to £9 ringing a £1-a-minute premium rate telephone line to discover what they will receive, according to a reference number on their letter.

And when a dozen readers passed on their letters to the Evening Press, we discovered through a nine-minute call that they had all won the same prize - a "free" mobile telephone for which they would have to pay line rental.

Gordon Gresty, head of trading standards for North Yorkshire County Council, said today he suspected the letters are being sent by a businessman already under investigation for an earlier competition run along the same lines.

He claimed the man had set up companies in Hungary and Amsterdam to print personalised letters telling residents they could win prizes by phoning the premium rate number, but no-one ever seemed to win.

"The business is being investigated and we are considering a prosecution against him for a previous scam. He has sent similar letters out since, which only just comply with the law," he said.

"As far as I'm aware no-one ever wins a prize. This is like a disease coming through the door left, right and centre - many of them are the same scam offering big money prizes, but if you win a prize it's usually of no value and costs you money, like a holiday you have to pay for, or a mobile phone which you have to pay line rental for.

"It's an absolute rip off - anyone who gets anything like this through the door should throw it straight in the bin. The only way to stop them is for people never to phone and cut off their money supply - they must be profitable otherwise they wouldn't continue."

Colin Rumford, head of trading standards at City of York Council, said his department was investigating after receiving half a dozen letters from York residents.David Onions, of Westgate, Pickering, was among hundreds of residents who was unhappy to have received the letter, which carries a Budapest postmark and a sender address in Mayfair, London.

Raymond Taylor, a retired civil servant, of Broughton Way, Osbaldwick, York, said it was the second time in two months he had received one of the letters.

"It's a pain in the backside and people should be made aware of them - especially if elderly people are receiving them. It's ridiculous. Where are they coming from? People should just bin them."

Alec Borrow, a university student, of Chapelfields, Acomb, said: "I'm blown if I'm paying £1 a minute for a phone call - anyone who thinks they will get anything for nothing nowadays is living in a different world. They must make money on it, but I don't know how. And they don't even use recycled paper."

Premium telephone line watchdogs ICSTIS, who have already fined the businessman £500 after he failed to say how winners would be selected in a previous competition, are also investigating his latest promotion.

"There's no proof yet been received that anyone has got any prizes from this promotion. The investigations are still ongoing."

But the businessman behind the mail shots, who claims to be an agent for a Dutch company, said the letters were legitimate and within the law. He said he was appealing against the ICSTIS fine on the grounds that it was a printing error.

He said everyone who rang the telephone number advertised won something, even if it was a mobile phone, which they had to contribute towards.

"There's only one big winner in every 500,000 letters, but all the prizes advertised are claimed. The difference between our competition and the National Lottery is that everyone wins something," he said.

He said winners of mobile phones were saving £60 on the cost of a phone for a £9 phone call and only had to pay for line rental and calls.

"We have a lot of very happy customers using the phone numbers - we're currently connecting 1,000 mobile phones a day through the offer, which is going out all over the country," he said.Concerned consumers can telephone a free help line on 0800 500212 or local trading standards offices.

If you have received a letter with the reference number 002615, we can save you £9 by telling you that you too have won a mobile phone.

see NEWS 'Phone scam is a prize sham'

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