YORK is being hit by a fresh wave of international scams and chain letters.

Even Evening Press staff are being targeted by a stream of emails from dubious foreign-based ventures.

One was sent to Chief Reporter Mike Laycock from the "well-known" president of a "world resources lnstitude" oil company in Gabon, saying that a ship from his company had delivered 10 tons of oil to Dakar, Senegal.

He said he had decided to transfer a profit of $11.2 million US dollars into a foreign account. "And l want you to know that if you can do this business with me perfectly, you would be entitled to

15 per cent of the total money. "

Another email to Mike from a Netherlands-based "international promotions" firm informed him he had won a lottery and been approved for a lump sum pay out of US$1m, which was now deposited with a Bank in Amsterdam.

It said a claim agent should be contacted for due processing and remittance of the prize money to a designated account.

Meanwhile, York resident Harry Atherton has raised the alarm with North Yorkshire Police and the Press after receiving a "pretty dangerous" chain letter. He said he wanted to protect the vulnerable.

The letter asked him to send a £10 note to a person whose name and address appeared at the top of a list, delete that person's name, and add his own to the bottom of the list. It suggested that within 60 days, he would receive more than £40,000 in cash, guaranteed.

Liz Levett, City of York Councils' trading standards manager, said the emails from abroad were "cons and scams," and urged people not to pass on their bank account details to strangers. "The dangers if they do is that all their money will be removed from the account", she said.

She also dismissed the chain letter, saying that the odds of receiving £40,000 in 60 days were millions to one.

Updated: 10:11 Monday, July 21, 2003