A distraught daughter-in-law has spoken of her anguish after her father-in-law was conned out of more than £300,000 in a lottery scam - and still refuses to accept he will not get the millions he believes he has won.

The Norfolk family's heartrending case has been highlighted by Norfolk Trading Standards and the Norfolk Safeguarding Adults Board to promote a national Friends Against Scams campaign to stop others falling victim.

The daughter-in-law contacted Trading Standards after discovering her loved one had paid £300,000 over five years to con artists in the belief he had won £1.5m in a lottery.

The woman, whose identity has not been revealed said: 'I believe it all started when my father-in-law received a letter stating he had been allocated a share of a lottery win – all he had to do was send a sum of money to cover the administration costs and then he would receive £1.5m.

'However, five years and hundreds of thousands of pounds later, he is still sending money with no sign of his £1.5m.

'He will not listen to anyone apart from the scammers and he is adamant he will get this money. It has become an obsession facilitated by the world that the scammers have lured him into, fuelled by the constant contacts and repeated promises of money which now drives David's cussedness about the whole situation.'

Citizens Advice and Norfolk Trading Standards have provided the family with advice on how to protect him from further financial abuse, and have even staged a direct intervention alongside the police. However, he is still convinced that his money will arrive.

Nationally the cost of scamming to UK consumers is between £5bn and £10bn a year, and the Friends Against Scams campaign aims to protect and prevent vulnerable people from becoming victims by empowering communities to take a stand against scamming.

Through the Friends Against Scams campaign, Norfolk Trading Standards hope to reach victims earlier. Anyone can take part in an online training session which provides people with the skills and confidence they need to recognise and avoid scams. Trading Standards are offering free training and awareness sessions to organisations and businesses.

Visit www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk for more information.