Business bosses in West Yorkshire are being warned to look out for World Cup competitions sent out on fax machines.

Trading Standards officers say some firms are already unwittingly paying out cash because of the entry forms, which promise tickets to various matches as prizes.

The forms have to be returned by fax to the sender, according to West Yorkshire Trading Standards divisional manager Paul Cooper.

But there is a catch.

"The number to return the competition forms is a premium fax line - so it can cost £1 per entry," he said.

"There are several different competitions being sent out and I think they send them at random to fax machines.

"You have to answer some simple questions like what country is the World Cup being held in.

"The person who enters is probably the employee who is spending the employer's money to return the fax.

"We have had two or three different competitions sent to our office alone so you wonder how many are going out all over West Yorkshire.

"The best thing to do is to throw them away."

World Cup fever is also attracting shady traders out to make a killing with fakes, he said.

His warning comes after trading standards officers in Devon seized thousands of fake World Cup footballs.

"If you buy the items from bona fide businesses you can be fairly certain they are genuine," Mr Cooper said. "But if you are buying them from other sources you could have problems.

"What we found during Euro '96 was that some organisations were using logos similar to the registered trade marks on their products.

"It isn't illegal but it is obviously aimed at football fans and could be confusing.

"The FA has sent out details of legitimate products and ways of identifying them but as yet we haven't come across anything suspicious."

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