My neighbour just came round with a letter he has received, asking my opinion on it. It tells him he has won a sweepstake lottery and has to claim his prize. Includes a form on which he should state many of his details, including bank account.

I have researched this, and it is a well-known scam. Anybody receiving this notice, or similar, referring to the El Gord Lottery in Spain and the Santa Lucia Security Company in Rome, should check out the following URL:

http://www.ripoffreport.com/reports/ripoff101683.htm

Such scamsare legion. So if you're even remotely suspicious, do what my neighbour has done and consult the opinion of somebody else, preferably someone with Internet access.

Oh, and inform the local Police, who can pass the details on to the appropriate authority.

I seem to remember seeing a programme about this not so long back. Surely you'd know if you'd entered any lotteries, and if you havn't then it's obviously a scam.