'My late mother lost £100,000 to postal scammers'

A man has told BBC 5 live that his mother died penniless after sending more than £100,000 to con artists via postal scams.

It comes after Business Minister Margot James summoned Royal Mail executives to an urgent meeting over reports that the company has been delivering scam letters branded with its logo as part of its bulk mail contracts.

The letters are said to include fake prize draws and advertisements for unlicensed health remedies.

Russell Eaton told 5 live’s Adrian Chiles that the scammers’ main target is pensioners with savings, who instinctively trust mail delivered through the letterbox.

“There were hundreds and hundreds of these scams being delivered every week... Ultimately they see elderly people as easy prey."

The Royal Mail says it stops delivering letters as soon as they find out they’re illegal. "We simply do not want to handle scam mail or make any money from this terrible activity”, they said.