CONSUMER watchdogs on Teesside are warning people to beware of offers of prizes that are too good to be true.

Trading standards officers in Hartlepool are asking anyone who has received suspect prize offers to send on details to them.

Michael Welsh, principal trading standards officer, said: "Every day we receive calls from people who have received either a letter, phone call, fax or an enclosure in a newspaper or magazine saying they have won a prize.

"The prizes offered may be extremely tempting, running sometimes into many thousands of pounds.

"But the cost to the consumer is usually also extremely high, involving either making long calls on premium rate telephone numbers, sending off money to claim a prize or divulging personal bank details.

"In so many cases, the consumer loses out and the fraudsters take them for a ride, making a fortune out of these scams.

"We would like anyone in Hartlepool who has received any suspicious prize offers to send the details, including any documents, to the trading standards team at Hartlepool Civic Centre, so that we can investigate."

Hartlepool Borough Council's trading standards team can be contacted on (01429) 523362.