HAVE you had a phonecall recently from someone you didn't know telling you that you'd won a prize draw you didn't remember entering? Yep, me too.

Frankly, I'm sick of people trying to part me with my money. It's bothersome enough being called by fitted kitchen sellers who insist on calling me Mrs Moisten, without having to contend with Bonnie telling me I've won a non-existent holiday to Orlando.

Though it remains frustrating, we've become accustomed to the traditional junk mail approach, in which the words "Prize Draw - You Are a Guaranteed Winner" can be roughly translated as "Bin Me - unless you like spending half an hour on the phone, racking up a £25 bill and ending up with a £5 holiday voucher for a campsite in Widnes."

Then email made things easier for scammers. Like a wartime housewife, I'm no stranger to Spam (unsolicited junk email). Nestled among the ads for Viagra and University Diplomas would often be missives from His Royal Highness Prince Mike Okoye asking would I mind awfully helping him free up a sum of $27 million by sending him a bit of cash, for which I would be handsomely rewarded, naturally. I still haven't received that invite to the Congo.

Now companies located outside the UK are getting at us through texts and, more recently, phone calls.

Here's how it goes. The phone rings. You pick up. A pre-recorded message informs you that you've won a wonderful prize. All you need to do is call a (premium rate) number, which by the time you've endured the waffle will have cost you about £25, you will have been asked to send an "administration fee", and will have contributed to the £150 million a year that these scammers are raking in.

A government site commenting on the cons says there are certain warning signs to look out for. If, say, the caller is more excited than you are. Or if the stranger who phones wants to be your best friend.

Of course, this could mean that you're just getting an old fashioned "funny phone call" which at least shouldn't cost you anything except your peace of mind - unless they've been perverse enough to reverese the charges.

Personally, I feel quite afronted at being wrenched away from Columbo to listen to some woman bang on about free gifts I'm never likely to see.

What's next? Blokes knocking on my door saying they've got a speedboat round the back, if I could just give them the £100 they need to pay the tow-man?

Anyway, a word of warning. Firstly that if something seems too good to be true, then it generally is. Secondly, if you do reply to these cons, word will get around quicker than J-Lo and you'll be added to a "suckers list". So, if you've handed over cash to release a lottery win that you never saw, don't be surprised to find that over the next few months you have a further rash of "luck".

I've made an even bigger mistake. I've been put on a saddoes list. This morning I went downstairs and there it was - Miss N Mostyn - Half off at Buckingham Bingo. I tell you, I didn't feel like a winner.