West Sussex County Council Trading Standards Service will be reminding travelers at Gatwick Airport not to fall for scratchcard scams during the spring holidays. Tricksters are suspected to go on a handing-out spree of scratchcards to unwitting travelers with the promise of a sure win.

Trading Standards Head Graeme MacPherson explains that the “prize turns out to be a trip to a lengthy sales presentation and a chance to pay thousands of pounds for membership to a bogus holiday club.” He adds that if you should ever be handed a free ‘winning’ scratchcard while in the airport, you should always ask if you have to listen to a long sales pitch.

Meanwhile, a couple of MacPherson’s fellow officers will be roaming Gatwick airport giving away warning scratchcards that were produced by the Office of Fair Trading. The cards serve to remind travelers of a new timeshare legislation which gives customers the right to cancel memberships without incurring any penalty.