PEOPLE are being urged to be cautious about replying to letters which have been dropping through Bolton letter boxes this week.

Several residents have received correspondence from an Amsterdam based company called Home Distribution.

One BEN reader who was sent the letter is Dorothy Wrigley, of Dalebrook Close, Little Lever.

The envelope contained a compliments slip sized piece of paper telling the householder that a "multi-item shipment" was waiting for her to claim it.

The letter stated that it was a large box, containing more than £75 worth of household, personal and miscellaneous goods.

It also asks for £24.80 to be sent to an address in the Netherlands, warning that unless the merchandise is claimed within 11 days it will be forfeited.

There is no indication of what the merchandise is and so Mrs Wrigley is planning to write back to the company asking for more information before she decides whether she wants it.

Suspicious

Another BEN reader who received a letter from Home Distribution was Kathleen Grieve of Elm Grove, Bromley Cross. She was suspicious and contacted consumer advice staff.

She said: "From what I can gather the claim number, which is supposed to be individual to you, is exactly the same on lots of people's letters. I was wary and I wanted to warn other people." Bolton's senior fair trading officer Liam Kelly says people should not send money off without knowing what goods they are buying. People should be cautious. I would ask people to keep hold of their money until they are sure what they are getting," he said.

Mrs Wrigley and Mrs Grieve are among several people in Bolton who have contacted the consumer advice centre after receiving the letter this week. "There have been a lot of letters sent from abroad implying you have won something. This certainly sounds like that type of letter," said Mr Kelly. He added that people should also be aware that British to enforce consumer laws when goods are sent from abroad are "fairly limited."

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