Kia Motors (UK) has issued a warning to its customers of an e-mail scam hiding behind the brand.

E-mail recipients are being advised that they have won a major prize in an e-mail lottery and are invited to provide various personal details including bank details so that prize money of up to £750,000 and a free car can be awarded to them.

The contact details include the name The Kia Company and e-mail and telephone numbers in the UK.

Stephen Kitson, communications director of Kia Motors (UK), said: "We have never run an e-mail lottery, we are not running an e-mail lottery and we are unlikely ever to run an e-mail lottery. This is a despicable scam being carried out on unwitting members of the public by thieves, pure and simple.”

Kia is currently working with the authorities to try and trace the people behind the scam and stop it.

Kitson added that the company had been the subject of previous scams with e-mails originating in various countries overseas and offering huge prizes - those e-mail scams had been investigated and closed down with the help of Kia operations in those countries.