A mother has been duped out of £500 after being told she had won the Spanish national lottery.

Vianne Eade, 51, was the latest victim in a scam being carried out across Europe.

Mrs Eade said: "I feel so stupid. All I wanted was to make a better life for me and my children and it has ended like this. I'm devastated."

Her problems started earlier this year when a letter arrived at her home in Wiston Road, in Whitehawk, Brighton, telling her she had won a 615,810 Euro jackpot in Spain.

But the catch was that she would have to send £900 to the lottery organisers to pay for her winnings to be couriered to her.

Mrs Eade said: "When the letter arrived I knew I hadn't entered the lottery but I thought there was some kind of mix up and I didn't want the chance to have that kind of money get away."

She has two teenage children, Jason, 17, and Sarah, 16.

Mrs Eade said: "I was so excited about what it could mean for us. We could move away and start a new life."

She said she did not have £900 to send for the phoney courier fee. She called a number on the letter and spoke to a man calling himself Pedro.

The man told her he would do a special deal with her. He told her if she sent £500 he would arrange for the winnings to be delivered to her and she could pay the rest of the money once she had banked it.

Mrs Eade said: "I was desperate for the money so I managed to take a loan for £500 and made a transfer."

After waiting for some time she phoned "Pedro" again and he told her there had been a problem and she would have to send the rest of the money before the winnings could be dispatched.

It was only this week, when she received a second letter telling her she had won another Spanish lottery jackpot, that Mrs Eade realised she had been scammed.

She said: "It is a cruel trick to play. I just want other people to know what is going on before it happens to them too."

Brighton and Hove Trading Standards has warned residents to be wary of any promises of prizes received unexpectedly.

A spokesman said: "Don't get caught by these tricksters. If a so-called prize sounds too good to be true it probably is, unless you have purchased a lottery or prize draw ticket from a recognisable organisation.

"If you get a cold call telling you that you have won a fantastic holiday, cash, or receive an impressive document through the post which you were not expecting, don't get taken in. Show it to a friend, relative, neighbour, or contact Consumer Direct South East on 08454 040506."