Scam artists are circulating e-mails asking recipients to provide personal information in order to claim cash prizes.

The Bermuda Police Service is urging residents to avoid responding to the hoax correspondence, warning that “if it’s too good to be true, it isn’t true”.

The e-mails are usually linked to advisories informing the recipient that they have come into significant sums of money and that, in order to collect the funds, they need to provide personal information.

Superintendent Sean Field-Lament said: “The purpose of these scams is usually identity theft. The advice is to not respond to these e-mails and immediately delete them.

“Do not open any attachments or links. Block the sender to stop any further messages from being received.”

According to the BPS, one clue that an e-mail could be a scam is the use of bogus e-mail addresses to respond to and advisories that security measures need to be updated.

“Company directors do not use Hotmail accounts. Legitimate businesses do not operate in this fashion, ” Superintendent Field-Lament said

“Let me again stress, do not provide any personal information in response to e-mails from individuals or companies that you do not know and should you receive, such e-mails delete them immediately.”