Operators of bogus competitions ....

• Inform you that you have won a prize - even though you can't remember entering a competition - via the post, email, fax or over the phone.

• Invite you to claim your allocated prize by phoning a hotline number for which you will be charged at a premium rate of up to £1 or £1.50 per minute.

• Tell you, in very small print at the bottom of the notification, that the call is likely to last about 9 minutes!

• May ask you to send an "administration fee" to process your prize.

• Claim that the 'prize' may be of high value, like a holiday, car, TV, music system, although it's more likely to be a plastic pen or piece of cheap jewellery.

If you know about a bogus competition circulating in your area ...

Tell your local Trading Standards Service and tell us - it may help us to stop them and protect other people.

If the competition is linked to a premium rate telephone number you can also contact ICSTIS, the Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services, which is the industry-funded regulatory body for all premium rate charged telecommunications services.