THE daughter of a 93-year-old woman from Lower Bourne near Farnham is warning people not to be taken in by a scam letter that offers large cash prizes in exchange for credit card details and a cheque for £15.

Jean Feast, from Lower Bourne, says a letter from "International Awards Exchange" has been targeted at vulnerable elderly people who could be duped into handing over their money.

The letter is from the company's "claim department" which claims that is has £1,486.14 in a unpaid prize for Mrs Feast's mother.

It states that, in order to claim the prize, a validation claim voucher must be completed and returned to the company's box number in Vancouver, Canada.

Mrs Feast said: "I feel very strongly about this issue as my mother, although severely disabled, has good mental capacity, but was taken in by its content.

"She is fortunate, in that she lives with us and we were able to protect her from the consequences."

Mrs Feast said the letter is extremely convincing and even has a persuasive note to try to convince people the offer is real.

She added: "As is usual in these matters, no apparent direct communication is available so you cannot give a 'warning call' to these individuals before they close their box number after a limited time, more often than not, claiming a considerable gain from vulnerable people."

Mrs Feast has informed the police of the letter and is urging other people to be aware of the scam.

Spokesperson for Surrey Police, Nicola Burress, says if people receive something through the post that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

She said: "Our advice to people is if they get something like this then just throw it in the bin. People are welcome to report the letters to us but quite often there's not an awful lot we can do.

"Sometimes letters like this are quite threatening which can be very upsetting for people. If this company is targeting elderly and vulnerable people then it is even worse.

"We would advise people not to part with their cash unless they are absolutely sure what they are getting involved in."