A vulnerable pensioner spent more than £30,000 after falling prey to mail scams.
Peter Rose, from Wigston, was subjected to an onslaught of mail scams over eight years offering free gifts for prizes, some of which were valued at millions of pounds providing he paid up front.
Mr Rose paid so much to the scammers that he was running out of money and couldn’t afford to buy food - a factor his family say contributed to his death at 79 just before Christmas.
His niece Fiona McArdle, of Welford Road, Leicester, said she only realised the extent of the problem when she had to visit the sorting office to collect piles of scam mail personally addressed to him.
“The more my uncle responded to the scammers, the more mail he received,” she said.
“They were asking for between £10 and £25 every time, promising him that in return he would get millions of pounds.
“The amount we collected from the sorting officer only just squeezed into our people carrier. There was mail from the UK and all over the world, even as far away as Australia.
“We went to Trading Standards and they took it all away and began writing to each of the companies to tell them to put a stop to it, but even then new mail was coming through.
“My uncle sent so much money in response to the letters that he didn’t have enough to buy food or pay his bills. He was practically starving to death. When he became ill he just couldn’t look after himself properly and because he wasn’t eating it made it worse.”
She said she believed that if they hadn’t targeted him, he would still be here.
“He was a very private man and he didn’t talk openly about what he was doing and who these letters were from. It’s heartbreaking to think about what happened to him.”
“In eight years he sent at least £30,000. In the end he used up all his pension.”
Now Fiona wants to warn other elderly residents and their relatives what could be happening.
She added: “It’s such a difficult thing to put a stop to which is why people need to be aware of what’s happening and not get involved in the first place. There should be leaflets about this in doctors’ surgeries and libraries, and the government should be doing more to stop this.
“These people are thieves in my book and what they did to my uncle was horrendous.”
Richard Matthews, senior officer for Leicestershire County Council’s Trading Standards Service, said: “This is the worst case I’ve seen in my 12 years. Sadly more people are falling victim.
“People have to remember that if it sounds too good to be true, it usually is.”
David Bull, head of the service added: “Scam mail comes in a variety of forms, but there’s a distinction between junk mail and scams.
“Scam mail is addressed to homeowners personally and usually has phrases such as guaranteed winner, unclaimed prize or award, or time sensitive document stamped on the envelope. The common factor is the consumer always has to send cash up front before receiving anything themselves.
“Junk mail is legitimate mail which promotes goods and services.”
Mail scams are estimated to cost UK consumers £3.5 billion each year and only one in five cases are reported.
Trading Standards advises customers who are, or have been, a scam mail victim to report the matter to the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline 08454 04 05 06 who will provide help and advice.
