A pensioner was conned out of £25,000 through a series of postal scams.

The 83-year-old man paid the money out after being sent fraudulent letters claiming he was in the running for big prizes in foreign lotteries.

In total, scammers sent 4200 communications to his South Ayrshire address over a period of two years from 2015 to 2017.

The letters asked the victim, who lives alone, to send administration and courier fees which would allow him to collect nonexistent prizes.

Mike Newall, head of neighbourhood services for South Ayrshire Council said: "This was a particularly nasty case and the victim's normally trusting nature has been shattered, leaving him feeling angry and frustrated at being taken in by the scammers."

The authority's Trading Standards team became involved after the details of the victim were discovered on national "scam lists".

A spokesman for the team said: "You should never respond to mail advising that you have won money if you never entered the competition and never reveal your bank details or pay fees in advance to release a prize.

"If the mail tells you to keep the win a secret or to reply quickly or you will risk losing the winnings it's almost certain to be a scam."

Anyone with concerns over possible scam mail is asked to contact their local Trading Standards team.