A WARNING not to be tempted by a lottery scam letter has gone out after a former Lyme Regis man was targeted – two years after he died.

Diane Painter was appalled to receive a letter destined for her late father Alf Hiller forwarded by his Lyme Regis care home, promising hundreds of thousands of pounds in an international con.

Now Mrs Painter says she wants to alert relatives of other elderly people to the potential dangers of such letters.

The document appears to be from official sources and demands a catalogue of personal information, followed up by demands for a down-payment to release the non-existent “winnings”.

The letter to Mr Hiller at Lyme Regis Nursing Home in Pound Road purported to come from Euromillion Lottery International.

It stated that Mr Hiller, who died aged 90, had won £825,000 in a Spanish lottery.

To claim the money the recipient is requested to supply a host of personal details and to contact a man called James Adams.

After details are obtained the scammers often then request a sizeable payment to set up an account to transfer the lottery cash into.

Mrs Painter, of Loders, said she also wanted to know how her father’s name and address at the home were obtained.

“I knew as soon as I got the letter that it was a scam, because of course my father had died so long ago.

“I know he would never have signed up for anything from the home because he was just too ill.”

Mrs Painter, who is an office administrator for Sicor International, added: “I would just like to say to other people whose relatives might receive one of these letters, just to say to them that letters like this are not always true.

“If it looks too good to be true, then it usually is. Get them to ask someone to look into it for them.

“It was quite upsetting to receive a letter to my father two years later.

“I know my father would never have bought a lottery ticket anywhere.”

When the Bridport News rang the telephone number provided, a man answered saying he was in Thailand.

When asked why he was sending such letters to elderly people he replied: “No scam, no scam,” and slammed the phone down.