The council is urging people to rip up any scam mail

The warning is part of National Consumers' Week which aims to raise the profile of customers' rights.

East Sussex County Council Trading Standards officers will also be urging people to say no to doorstep callers offering repairs and improvements.

"If an offer sounds too good to be true, then it probably is," said councillor Bob Tidy.

Spot the fake

"We urge you to rip up scam mail."

Scam mail to be aware of includes letters asking for a cheque to claim a cash or valuable prize and mail offering weight loss products in return for money.

Trading standards officers will be visiting libraries across the county where they will highlight different scams and hold a spot the fake competition.

They will also be promoting the mail preference service which enables people to decide if they want junk mail ands the telephone preference service where cold callers can be blocked.

National Consumers' week runs from 18 to 22 October.