A WIDOWER who was targeted by a clairvoyant scam promising to put him in touch with his dead wife has branded the fraudsters ‘sick’.

Cecil Kershaw, 80, of Padiham, got a letter through the door days after his wife Maureen, 76, died in September.

Still grieving, Mr Kershaw replied to the letter, but has since been ‘inundated’ with around 30 similar letters asking for money to help him ‘contact the other side’.

Police are now warning others of these so-called ‘spiritualist scams’ and are investigating how they are targeting recently bereaved families.

Mr Kershaw said he had received offers from this country, Netherlands and Hungary, asking for payments of between £19 and £37. He got 15 in one week.

Mr Kershaw said: “It all started just after my wife died. They told me they could get in touch with her and also promised that I was going to ‘come in to money’ like winning the lottery.

“Maureen did delve into one or two things like this. She’d been to a seance before and had been to see Colin Fry. I thought at first it could be legitimate, but it is a con. I’d just lost my wife, I was upset and vulnerable and they preyed on that.”

Mr Kershaw replied to the first letter with a cheque for £20 and received a good luck medallion charm.

But he said: “Seemingly, once I answered the first one, my details went everywhere and they all thought ‘here’s one, get into him’.

"It’s a load of codswollop and they are giving false hope.

“I wrote a letter back to one of them saying I was reporting him to the police.

“The only advice I can give to other people is to put these letters straight into the recycling bin. I think it just sick to make a living out of what they are doing.”

Mr Kershaw said he is still struggling to come to terms with the loss of his wife, who died from Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) which stops oxygen getting into the blood.

Padiham PCSO Lisa Tyler said: “These people are clearly targeting those who are at their most vulnerable having just lost a loved one.

"Under no circumstances should people be passing their bank account details or any other personal information to people making these types of requests.”

Anybody who has received a letter like this or has any information should contact police on 0845 1 25 35 45.