Click here for this months newsletter.

It sounds too good to be true: Beware of hype and extravagant promises. If it sounds too good to be true, it almost always is.

You are contacted out of the blue: You may get a phone call, email or letter from someone you’ve never heard of.

You have to make a quick decision: Scammers don’t like to give you time to think. They will try to pressure you into making a decision by saying things like ‘If you don’t act now, you’ll miss out.’

You have to give away bank account details: Trustworthy firms will never contact you to ask for this information.

Scams that try to trick you out of your money include:

Loft Insulation Grant Offers

Green Deal is a new government initiative that aims to encourage consumers to make their homes energy efficient. It lets you pay for improvements to your home through your energy bills. Only authorised Green Deal businesses can offer this.

In an attempt to prevent mis-selling and potential scammers, all Green Deal Providers and Assessors must follow the Green Deal Code of Conduct which stipulates that they must respect your wishes if you do not wish to be cold-called at home.
Genuine Green Deal providers won’t call at your home if you display a no cold calling’ door sticker* and householders should be wary of sellers who ignore the signs.

Trading Standards Services have received complaints, where members of the public have been given misleading information by less scrupulous traders who cold-call. They may make false claims that they work for the local council, and high pressure sales techniques are used to frighten more vulnerable consumers into agreeing to contracts for goods or services that the do not necessarily need or want. By using scare tactics, the salesperson may claim the householder will be sued if they do not improve their home energy efficiency, or that they are breaking the law.

To avoid rogue traders offering energy efficiency home services, do not deal with unsolicited callers who contact you at the door, by telephone, email or letter and seek advice from the Energy Saving Advice Service on 0300 123 1234 or visit www.direct.gov.uk/Greendeal. *

For further help or advice please contact;
Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on
08454 04 05 06

Internet ‘Pop-Up’ Advertising

Consumers browsing the internet should be aware of pop-up advertising, which is intended to attract web users or capture email addresses. A pop-up will usually appear in a new web browser window containing an advertisement for goods or services. Some pop-ups will include a link to less scrupulous sites including;
• Certain types of downloaded content, such as images or free music
• Software installation
• Access to pornographic sites
• Gambling sites
The Trading Standards Service has received complaints where consumers have clicked on a pop-up in the belief they were going to receive goods as part of a free trial. However, once the consumer has entered their personal details, including a debit or credit card number, extra payments may be taken.

Consumers are advised NOT to click on any pop-up advert that may appear whilst browsing the internet. They should also check their internet settings to ensure the pop-up blocker is activated and that genuine anti-virus software is installed.

For further help or advice please contact;
Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on
08454 04 05 06

Psychic or clairvoyant scams approach you by sending you a letter. The letters can either:

People have lost thousands of pounds paying for these fake reports.
Clairvoyants and psychic scams are one of the most common scams sent by post. Identical letters are sent to thousands of other people to trick them if you get one of these letters, throw it away or send it to us at Trading Standards and we will destroy it for you.

Prize draws, sweepstakes and foreign lottery scams say you have won a prize – all you need to do is pay a 'processing' or 'administration' fee. But you will end up with nothing or a cheap item that's worth less than the fee. 
The scam may also ask you to:

If you get an offer for a lottery or competition you haven't entered, always ignore it.
If you think you’ve been targeted by a premium-rate scam, complain to PhonepayPlus on 020 7940 7474. It has the power to fine companies and stop them offering premium rate numbers.

In dating scams, the person you have met online says they live overseas and need money to help them come to the UK. You send the money but the person disappears, along with your money.
Protect yourself from online dating scams by:

Financial scams usually promise you something for nothing. For example 'advance fee' scams offer a huge fee in exchange for 'helping' someone transfer money out of a country.
Other scams get you to:

The reality is these scams are used to get hold of your bank details and steal money from you. Never give out bank details to people you don't know.
Before you invest or pay any money:

Only buy or sell shares with a company that is on the Financial Services Authority (FSA) register of authorized firms.

There are two common health scams:

To make these claims sound realistic they:

Job scams promise an exciting new career if you pay an upfront fee for training, study aids or materials for your new job. Examples of careers offered include:

Once you pay the fee, you won’t get what you need to start your new career. Before you pay any money, do an online search of the organization and check any contract to understand what you will get for the fee.

If you have given money to a scam, report it to Trading Standards on 823370 or Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040

Protect yourself from scams

Report a scam
Scambuster – Your guide to beating the scammers

Bogus Holiday Clubs – “Congratulations! You have not won a free holiday”.

A guide for carers and care professionals

Baby Mailing Preference Service

Fax Preference Service