56 year addiction to scam mail costs woman £200,000

. Credit: PA Wire

A 76-year-old woman paid out more than £200,000 after becoming addicted to scam letters for 56 years.

Sylvia Kneller, from Farnham in Surrey, started responding to fraudsters when she was 20-years-old. She then became convinced that she would one day win a fortune.

A pile of Sylvia's scam letters Credit: PA Wire

Sylvia's first husband left her after she refused to stop responding to the letters. Speaking for the first time about the impact her addiction has had on her life she said:

Sylvia also suffers from arthritis and heart problems Credit: PA Wire

Sylvia added:

The letters received by Sylia Kneller, who suffers from arthritis and heart problems, included claims that she had won large sums of money but she needed to send processing fees of £20 for her to claim the prize.

Trading standards in Surrey describe the case as one of the worst they have seen Credit: PA Wire

The letters received by Sylia included claims that she had won large sums of money but she needed to send processing fees of £20 for her to claim the prize.

Trading Standards in Surrey are looking into the cases of 80 people who had repeatedly fallen for the scams.