Loneliness and the risk of fraudulent mail
It was the number of letters which her aunt was receiving that first made Penny Eggebrecht suspicious.
That and the fact her aunt was getting through a chequebook almost every week sending money in response.
The letters were from overseas lottery companies offering cash prizes but requesting payments each time.
It was a scam but her 91-year-old aunt was in denial and getting her to stop replying was proving impossible.
“Having talked to her myself and realising I wasn’t getting through to her I tried to involve other people that I felt she might listen to – her solicitor, GP and friends. But they really weren’t getting anywhere either,” Ms Eggebrecht says.