Police are warning members of the public to be on their guard after an Isle of Man resident lost thousands of pounds to fraudsters.

The victim was targeted by conmen who said they had won a Jamaican lottery, but needed to pay taxes to claim their millions.

However, the whole scheme was a lie involving fake callers claiming to be from a Fake Lottery Fund and subsequently claimed to be police officers from Scotland Yard and the FBI investigating fake lottery scams.  The fraudsters kept the victim paying for three years.

Detective Constable Julie Jones of the Financial Crime Unit says people should be suspicious of any sort of unsolicited email, letter or phone call which offers something for nothing:

• If you receive a phone call from someone purporting to be a Police Officer from off the Island and you are in any way suspicious do not give out any personal information and advise them to contact the Isle of Man Constabulary Joint Services Control Room.

• If you are unsure of an offer, speak to family or friends and seek advice before sending any money or giving out any banking or credit card details.

• Stop, think and be sceptical. If something sounds too good to be true it probably is.

• Fraudsters often try to rush their victims into sending money.  Do not be rushed into sending off money to someone you do not know, however plausible they might sound and even where an approach is personalised.

• Ask yourself how likely it is that you have been especially chosen for this offer - thousands of other people will probably have received the same offer.

• Think about how much money you could lose from replying to a potential scam - it's not a gamble worth taking.