Scams and Cons - its surprising how many people fall foul of these, perhaps it's the thought however slim of making a bit of money. The thought of getting rich seems to turn off the usual guarded and careful approach to financial dealings and that is probably what the con artist is hoping for.

There is a letter doing the rounds at the moment, I've had one myself. The letter usually purports to be from a vice chairman in a Chinese bank informing you that someone with the same surname as yours invested millions in their bank, this has grown through careful investment. Then the account holder died in a tragic accident in China leaving no next of kin. The writer of the letter has sole access to the file and as you have the same surname as the deceased he can arrange for the money to come to you, suggesting for his troubles that the millions are split 50/50 between you and him. Apparently it's done all the time in Hong Kong and it's the opportunity of a lifetime. Is it heck, my guess is that if you respond to the letter there will be a twist. It will be you handing over your money to pay for this transaction to take place. You won't see the millions or your money again and Mr Lee will be happy with the couple of hundred you have sent him for no more work than writing you a letter.

I came across another opportunity of a lifetime recently. This one has a glossy website and literature and was very open about what it was doing. It suggests that there is a housing crisis and more houses are needed. As land for development is running out the government is going to have to meet this crisis by freeing up other land for development. Here is your opportunity to buy some of this land. The website makes it clear that there is no current planning permission on this land and no certainty that development will be allowed, it is a gamble, but one worth taking. I'm not so sure, I will leave you to decide if this is a con or not. You could just end up with a plot of land on which all you can do is graze a cow.

Antony Wiles PC8024 - Borough Green
8024@kent.pnn.police.uk