3 February 2008 - A large junk mail scam could be shut down in weeks thanks to a landmark legal battle.
The Sunday Mirror today reports that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is taking Dutch junk firm Best Sales to court to stop a lottery scam.
The con tells victims that they have won up to £12,000 in a foreign sweepstake, but that they must buy mail order goods worth at least £20 to get their prize. According to the paper, tens of thousands of people have been duped into buying household items they don't need. Most of the victims are elderly people.
Scammers often work from abroad, making it difficult for the OFT to stop scams. However, scams are one of the OFT's priorities. In 2005 the OFT launched a Scambusters team and set up the Scams Enforcement Group, focusing among others on law enforcement. On 1 February 2008 the Scams Awareness Month to raise awareness of mass marketed scams.
An OFT spokesman said: "It's a landmark case and sends a clear message to similar scams based abroad." A judgment is expected on 27 February 2008.