The Spanish Lottery has informed us that they are aware of the major problem of the circulation of bogus letters announcing false lottery wins. Many of these letters purport to be from the state lottery organisation, but are not genuine.  If you think you have received one of these letters remember:

You have to buy a ticket to win the lottery.

Even if you win, it's up to you to check that you have the winning number, and not up to the Spanish lottery to contact you.

Indications that a letter is not genuine are:

• If it asks for payment to release a lottery win (the state lottery here does not ask for this)
• If it is written in English (the Spanish state lottery issues its letters in Spanish)
• If it substitutes mobile telephone numbers for regular land-based lines (Spanish mobile telephone numbers begin with a 6 and have 9 digits. Landlines begin with a 9).

If you think you have been a victim of lottery fraud, contact your local police station.  (If you are a victim in the UK you should report it to the Police in the UK and if you are a victim in Spain to the Spanish Police).