Pensioner loses £200,000 over 56 years to mail scams I realise now what a mistake I made and want to warn others not to fall for these begging letters. I still get them now, but know not to send more money. How victims' names are circulated Sylvia Kneller said she receives up to 100 "scam" letters per week. Trading Standards said this was because her details, like that of other victims who actually respond by sending money, are traded among fraudsters. As a result they end up receiving more and more. Steve Playle of Surrey Trading Standards said that after working with other counties' equivalent offices, a list of 740 Surrey residents had been identified as receiving a large amount of this type of mail. Of this, a shortlist of 120 recipients were identified as at "higher risk" of responding. "We wrote to all 740 consumers, and based on responses and cross-checking with our own databases, we got down to around 120 people that we had concerns about," Mr Playle told The Telegraph. We have decided to visit as many of these 120 people as possible and Sylvia Kneller was one of those. Others that we have visited have other sad stories to tell. Mr Playle added: "The majority of receipients do not fall for these scams. Most people who respond are unfortunately lonely and elderly individuals. As communuities, it is up to us to look out for our elderly neighbours and to warn them that not all mail can be trusted. In its warning leaflets, Trading Standards explains how victims become ashamed of being duped - but nonetheless continue to pay in the hope they can recoup losses. It says: "Some people are often too embarrassed to admit that they have fallen victim to a scam or refuse to believe they have been conned. If you think that they have, give reassurance that it is a common problem and scammers are clever and highly skilled in duping all sorts of people. Its warning to carers includes a message to look out for the following signs of fraud: The law Some mailings are constructed carefully to work around the law. But Mr Playle said: "Certain aspects of these mailings are illegal. For instance, it is against the law to require people who have won a legitimate prize to maker a payment. Our advice is to stick these mailings in the bin.