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Minister for Fair Trading Judy Spence has issued another warning about overseas letter scams that have been targeting consumers in regional Queensland.

The Nigerian Letter' scam has been circulating in many areas of Queensland along with the ''Armenian Oil & Gas Letter' and the 'Alex Fab Business Proposal Letter'.

Ms Spence said while people were naturally drawn to offers promising great returns for very little money, consumers should be aware that most overseas lottery schemes are fraudulent.

The Minister said to avoid becoming a victim, consumers should heed these points:

Ask yourself "How could I win a lottery prize if I haven't bought a ticket?" Usually, if you win something you don't have to pay to receive your prize Remember, once you sign up with a bogus 'foreign lottery', your name may be placed on other lists for similar scams Check the details of the 'lottery'. If you doubt that it is a genuine lottery, ring the office of the promoter, if in Australia, and ask for and confirm the address Remember, if asked to call a 'free' telephone number, that this may actually cost you money. Numbers such as 1900 are not free and may be another scam Contact your nearest Office of Fair Trading if you think you've come across a dubious foreign lottery scheme Don't give out credit card details unless you're sure you know who you're dealing with. If a promoter asks for your credit card details it's more than likely a ruse to gain access to your credit card details.

"Postal authorities throughout the world have seized millions of these letters.

"Once consumers engage in activities with overseas organisations, they move outside the jurisdiction of Queensland consumer protection laws and are largely unprotected.

"The Office of Fair Trading regularly warns consumers not to send bank account details or sums of cash overseas.

"Consumers should remember the saying 'if it's too good to be true, then it probably is', and throw the letters in the rubbish bin," Ms Spence said.

Media contact: Ellen McIntyre, Senior Media Adviser on 0408 732 491.