POLICE are warning people to beware of foreign lottery scams.

Durham Police have heard from people who have been called by supposed Canadian lottery corporations which say they have won money.

The callers say that, before a payout can be made, the "winners" have to pay one per cent of the sum by wire transfer.

The force's economic crime unit - formerly the fraud squad - said the details provided by the callers were false and that alleged lottery winners never saw any money.

Another scam being run on similar lines involved an alleged European lottery which tempts people to pay for a £1m jackpot that does not exist.

Detective Inspector Colin Gibson, of the economic crime unit, said: "The police advice is that, if a scheme or an offer looks too good to be true, then it almost certainly is.

"To win a lottery you need to have entered beforehand and we strongly advise people not to respond to these offers, or to send any money for supposed collection or administration fees."

The unit is also receiving calls about a fraud operated from West Africa in which people are sent letters, emails or faxes asking them to reveal their bank account details.

They are offered large sums of money, which would be temporarily transferred to their account.

The correspondence asks people to pay thousands of pounds to facilitate the transfer.

Anyone who receives the offer is asked to call the police.