Essex County Council’s Trading Standards officers are warning people to be aware of scams operating throughout the county.

May is Scams Awareness Month, highlighting cons including fake lotteries, prize draws, bogus health cures, and dodgy invest-ment schemes.

Malcolm Shead, head of Essex County Council Trading Standards, said: “New scams are emerging all the time but the best advice our team can give is ‘If it sounds too good to be true it probably is’.”