Scam mail is a long-running form of mass marketing fraud in which criminals send letters designed to obtain money through deception. National Trading Standards (NTS), which delivers consumer protection enforcement in England and Wales, and its Friends Against Scams initiative say the letters are carefully made to look genuine. This guide covers how scam mail is described by NTS, the warning signs, and where to report it across the UK. It is general information, not legal or financial advice.
What scam mail is
Friends Against Scams, an initiative of the NTS Scams Team, describes postal scams as letters sent to obtain money through deception or fraud. It lists several types: fake lotteries or prize draws, fake psychics, bogus health cures and investment scams. NTS has also named romance scams and unclaimed inheritance scams among the mailings criminals send through the post. Many of these are the same schemes described elsewhere on this site, such as lottery and prize draw scams and inheritance and unclaimed-funds scams, delivered on paper.
Tricks that make letters look real
In a December 2020 announcement, NTS listed techniques used to create an illusion of legitimacy and give false hope of a payout. They include:
- personalising the mail with the recipient’s name throughout, including on images such as certificates and cheques;
- artwork that purports to be genuine, such as a seal or crest and fonts that suggest a financial institution or official body;
- words such as “guaranteed” or “100% genuine”, together with precise sums of money;
- signatures from officials with senior titles and identification numbers that suggest legitimacy;
- a competition question intended to hook the recipient.
NTS quotes its Scams Team head as saying the mailings are made carefully to look genuine and that it is not only vulnerable people who fall for them.
Two common types
Friends Against Scams gives examples of two types in its SCAMnesty campaign page, dated 14 April 2025.
Advance fee scams often include official language or stamps and seals, the amount the recipient is supposedly entitled to, a sense of urgency such as a response deadline, sometimes certificates or fake cheques, use of the recipient’s name to make the letter seem personal, and a request for cash in advance as an “admin fee” to release the funds.
Clairvoyant or psychic scams often include promises of happiness, hope or money, a picture of the clairvoyant to seem more personal, use of the recipient’s first name, requests for cash in return for more information about the future, and offers of trinkets, treasures or charms said to bring good luck, for a price.
Why reporting matters
Friends Against Scams says the NTS Scams Team estimates that only about 5 per cent of these crimes are reported, for reasons that include shame or embarrassment, or not knowing whom to tell. It stresses that victims should not feel ashamed, because the criminals are experts at what they do. NTS says the mail it receives helps its investigators build intelligence and disrupt the people behind the mailings. In its 2020 announcement it said that since 2016 the Scams Team, with Friends Against Scams, had prevented over 10 million pieces of fraudulent mail from reaching consumers.
Sending scam mail to NTS
Through SCAMnesty, Friends Against Scams asks people in the UK to send unwanted scam and nuisance mail to the NTS Scams Team free of charge, using the Freepost address NTSST, FREEPOST, MAIL MARSHALS, with no stamp needed. The page says the campaign runs through the summer but post can be sent to the Freepost address at any time.
Reporting by nation
The NTS Scams Team page sets out where to report fraud and seek advice, and it distinguishes the nations:
- England and Wales. Report to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040. For advice, contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133, or 0808 223 1144 for a Welsh-speaking adviser.
- Scotland. Report to Police Scotland on 101. For advice, contact Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 164 6000.
- Northern Ireland. Report to Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040. For advice, contact Consumerline on 0300 123 6262.
The page also says that anyone who believes they have made a payment in response to a fraudulent request should contact their bank as soon as possible.
Reporting a scam letter to Royal Mail
Citizens Advice, writing for England, says Royal Mail investigates postal scams. A suspected scam letter can be reported on the Royal Mail website, or sent to “Freepost Scam Mail” with the envelope it came in and a completed scam mail report. Royal Mail can also be contacted by email at [email protected] or on 0800 011 3466, with free calls from mobiles and landlines. Citizens Advice adds that a person should contact the police on 101 if the scammer is in their area or money was transferred in the last 24 hours, and on 999 if they feel threatened or unsafe. The site’s guide to where to report a scam in the UK covers other channels such as texts and emails.
Frequently asked questions
Is scam mail only sent to vulnerable people?
No. NTS’s Scams Team head has said it is not just vulnerable people who fall prey, because the criminals take great care to make mailings look genuine.
Does it cost anything to send scam mail to NTS?
No. Friends Against Scams says the Freepost address needs no stamp.
The bottom line
Scam letters rely on personalisation, official-looking artwork, precise sums and urgency, and they ask for money up front in return for a prize, inheritance, luck or a cure. Anyone who receives one can send it to NTS or report it through Royal Mail, and anyone who has paid should contact their bank straight away and report to the body for their nation.