A Royston resident is warning others to stay alert after she received a letter telling her she had won the Spanish lottery.

The woman was informed in the letter that she had 53 million euros waiting for her.

She said: "There are going to be other people in the Royston area who have got one.

"Any relatives of people who are likely to fall for this can warn them and make sure they're on their guard.

"I was concerned about people who are vulnerable because they have Christmas costs and the cost of living is difficult."

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Herts police's fraud triage manager Julian Griffiths said: "The most common mass-market fraud, the fake prize scam, is where you get a message by post, email or text saying you’ve won a prize or competition, usually one you’ve never heard of.

"The message usually asks for an upfront payment to claim the prize, which either never arrives or is very different to what was promised.

"Remember, you can’t win money or a prize in a lottery you haven’t entered, can’t be ‘chosen at random’ from a list you didn’t sign up to and should never have to pay a fee or make a purchase to claim a legitimate prize."