A PENSIONER who thought she had won £750,000 in a special National Lottery promotion has issued a warning about scam emails after learning that she could have been a victim of identity theft.

A PENSIONER who thought she had won £750,000 in a special National Lottery promotion has issued a warning about scam emails after learning that she could have been a victim of identity theft.

Grandmother Paula Rogers admitted she initially started dreaming about how to spend the massive jackpot when she received an email purporting to be from the National Lottery.

But her dreams were shattered when she discovered the competition was fake - despite receiving notification on National Lottery-headed paper, complete with its address and the famous fingers crossed logo.

Now Mrs Rogers, who lives in Sudbury, hopes her ordeal will help others remain on their guard while lottery chiefs have issued advice on fraudulent emails.

“I did start to think it could be genuine and began dreaming about what I would spend the money on,” Mrs Rogers said. “Although I didn't believe it at first, it was when I saw the lottery logo that I began to dream and get excited.

“I am just relieved that I didn't lose any money and I would like to warn people who could quit their job or start planning how to spend the money, only for it to be a con.”

Mrs Rogers first received an email on Boxing Day claiming that she was one of ten people, picked out from random email addresses, who would share a jackpot of £7.5 million as part of a Lottery end of year online competition.

While sceptical at first, Mrs Rogers admitted she dared to believe when she received a second email complete with the National Lottery symbol and address.

She was asked for contact information, but Mrs Rogers, who does not believe any money was taken from her accounts, found out that the competition was fake when she attempted to send a reply and found the email address didn't exist.

The National Lottery website revealed that scam emails were increasing at an alarming rate and a spokesman said the person who contacted Mrs Rogers was probably attempting to carry out some form of identity theft.

He added: “Scam emails try to persuade the email receiver to submit personal information or to part with money as an up front payment in order to release a winning lottery prize.

“As a general rule, if you have not purchased a ticket for the UK National Lottery, you won't have won a prize, and you should treat the email with absolute caution.”