It may come as an unexpected call or email, or news of winning a lottery you have never heard of but if it sounds too good to be true - then it probably is.

This is the advice for Suffolk residents from Citizens Advice North East Suffolk (CAB) as part of Scam Awareness Month, this July.

The Lowestoft charity, in Gordon Road, is encouraging us to protect ourselves and others warning scams are on the rise.

Shelley Culley, of CAB, said: 'Scammers are not fussy about who they target and they are getting braver.

'At Citizens Advice we are all too aware of the devastating impact a scam can have on a person's life, we don't see the victim until after the damage has been done and it's almost impossible to recover from it.'

The charity highlighted some of the typical scam methods to look out for such as, unsolicited calls and letters, companies asking you to send money in advance or for personal and security details and messages urging you to respond quickly to an offer so you don't get time to discuss it.

If an email addresses you as 'valued customer' rather than your name and has simple spelling and grammar mistakes these too are tell-tale signs that you are dealing with a scam.

When handling emails the charity say to be cautious, do not call the phone numbers or click on the links and do not be fooled by IT experts offering to remove computer viruses. Using up to date virus protection and deleting emails from unfamiliar people is also key.

'People need to be vigilant and never assume a person who makes contact means well or is even who they say they are', said Mrs Culley.

Citizens advice say it is important to remember that your bank or the police will never ask for your pin number and the simple response to persuasive sales patter you may encounter is just to say, 'No thank you'.

If you spot something that doesn't feel right and want a second opinion contact Citizens Advice on 03454 040506 or visit www.actionfraud.police.uk.