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

The victim was targeted by conmen who said they had won a Spanish lottery, but needed to pay fees and charges to claim their millions.

However, the whole scheme was a lie involving fake websites and lawyers, which kept the victim paying for five years.

Detective Sergeant Mike Venables says people should be suspicious of any sort of unsolicited email or letter which offers something for nothing: