Legacy hoax fraudsters continue to target residents in Seaton and Colyton

POLICE have issued a fresh alert about a scam letter circulating in the Seaton and Colyton area.

It tells recipients that they are the relative of someone who has recently died and that they have been left a large sum of money.

The letter may be from someone claiming to be from Hong Kong or China.

A spokesman for Seaton police warned: “This is a scam and we are advising residents who receive this letter to ignore it and not to respond to it.

“If they do respond, even to say no, it is very likely that their details will be passed to other fraudsters who will target them.

Meanwhile reported crime in Seaton continues to rise, with 13 incidents in April. These included three thefts, three assaults and three public order offences,

A spokesman said: “Despite the rise in reported crime over recent months, this is the lowest April figure for a number of years and is well below the monthly average figure of 24 for April since 2004.

“For the year to date, we have had 82 reported crimes, compared to an average of 96 for the same period since 2004.”

The Seaton neighbourhood beat team is holding surgeries on Monday, May 21, in The Square, Seaton, between 10am and 11am and in Jubilee Gardens, Beer, between 12.30pm and 13.30pm.

Members of Seaton Town Council and the East Devon District Council animal warden will be attending the surgery in Seaton, which, in the event of bad weather, the Seaton surgery will be held in the Community Resource Centre, Fore Street.