SIR: I read the 'Letter of the Week' by Mrs J B Walsh with interest. The nuisance of chain letters etc are however not just a problem for the old folk. Last year I received a mountain of letters, mainly from Canada and America, telling me that I had won thousands of pounds. I read those letters and didn't turn a hair. One letter in particular read - "Mr B Howarth, you have won £6 million pounds!" Again, I didn't turn a hair!

If I get letters of this nature, I scrutinise them carefully. What is very annoying is that, after such a headline, there is small print such as - "Is what we'll say"etc.

I think this is very deceiving, and such a headline could give someone a heart attack, irrespective of age! I read a book on this subject and two middle aged women victims in this case had actually believed that they had won a fortune and had gone on spending sprees on the strength of expecting a huge win that would never come. These women were not well off to start with and ended up in severe debt. Small print and hidden extras, like having to send money to qualify are some of my pet hates. It is time these 'fiddles', which are legal, were cleared up.

If Mrs Walsh lived in Westhoughton over 28 years ago, I think I knew her.

B Howarth

Alexandria Drive, Westhoughton

Converted for the new archive on 14 July 2000. Some images and formatting may have been lost in the conversion.