Derbyshire Consumer Hub @consumerhub - Tumblr Blog

Alert: Doorstep (fish) sellers

Derbyshire Trading Standards has been contacted about a trader cold-calling an elderly resident in the Ashbourne area offering to sell fresh/frozen fish. In our experience, this type of trader will try to sell customers a large quantity of poor quality fish at a high price. They are known to travel nationally, cold calling consumers’ homes selling the fish, which is often misdescribed, mislabelled or unlabelled, overpriced and sometimes underweight. They usually travel in transit-type vans which may not be refrigerated. If you are tempted to buy, consider the following;

Does the fish have a weight marking, a ‘price per kilo’ and a selling price, as required by law?

Is the van refrigerated - how can you be sure how fresh the fish really is?

Is the van marked with the trader’s details?

Does the trader have a price list of products?

If you are at all uncertain, ask for a price list and say you will think about it and telephone if you want to place an order. Any reasonable trader will be happy to do this if it leads to regular custom.

Trading standards always advise consumers not to deal with traders who cold-call. If you wish to report such an issue you can call Citizen’s Advice Consumer Advice Service on 08454 04 05 06.

Scam Law Companies

Trading Standards have received reports from consumers about businesses that have made unsolicited telephone calls to them, offering various legal services such as Wills, Power of Attorney, and Asset Trusts. The businesses attempt to sign you up to these services at a high cost and may not deliver the service they have promised. Some of the services offered may be unsuitable or unnecessary.

If you are interested obtaining a legal service such as this we would advise you visit a local, qualified solicitor who can offer a professional service.

Trading standards would like to remind people that you should never deal with anyone who cold calls by telephone or at the door and you should never provide personal information/bank details to cold callers. If you have received cold calls either by phone or at the door, felt pressurised into a visit from a business, are not sure who the business is, or are concerned in any way, you should report it to the citizens advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06. You can also visit www.adviceguide.org.uk for advice.

You can register both your landline and mobile numbers with the following FREE services and are advised to do so on a YEARLY BASIS

The Telephone Preference Service – 0845 070 0707

Silent Call Guard – 0844 372 2325

#scams

Doorstep Callers

Derbyshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service has received a report about a business cold-calling residents in Amber Valley area. The business is offering expensive “German” cookware.

Consumers are advised to think very carefully before agreeing to purchase any goods from a cold caller, if there are any problems with the goods sold you are unlikely to be able to contact the company who sold them to you and as a result will not be able to exercise your statutory rights.

Reputable companies do not usually sell their goods by calling at your home uninvited or cold calling via the telephone.

If you have a complaint or concerns about doorstep sellers/rogue traders you can call Citizen’s Advice Consumer Advice Service on 08454 04 05 06

Consumers warned about copycat websites

Derbyshire County Council say that copycat websites are costing consumers thousands of pounds.

Victims of copycat sites who have complained to our trading standards officers have lost a total of almost £13,000 this year.

The websites offer services from government departments or local government but are not official sites and charge a premium − often with no real benefit to the customer.

An online tax return processing service has cost Derbyshire residents £7,150 this year. And trading standards officers believe it is likely much more money has been lost by people who have not made complaints.

We have received similar reports about websites that claim to process applications for passports, driving licences, driving tests and European health insurance cards.

Councillor Dave Allen our Cabinet Member for Health and Communities said:

These third party websites tread a fine line between failing to properly describe their services and deliberately misleading the public.

"But something is clearly wrong when so many people have parted with money for services they neither wanted nor needed."

The site developers use website tools to achieve high positions in search engines such as Google, often ranking their site higher than the official site, making it appear as though they are 'official' or 'authorised'.

They also use website addresses designed to be confused with the official site and feature a similar look and brand design.

Figures from the Office for Fair Trading estimate that only two per cent of people who experience a problem with professional or financial services make a complaint. This means that local residents could have lost more than £750,000 on copycat websites this year.

Councillor Allen added:

We would always advise members of the public to seek out the official websites that provide these services."

For passports and driving licences visit www.gov.uk (opens in a new window)

For European health insurance (EHIC) cards visit www.nhs.uk (opens in a new window)

For self-assessment/tax returns online visit www.hmrc.gov.uk (opens in a new window)

Residents can report copycat websites and get advice from the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506 or get general advice about consumer issues at www.derbyshireconsumerhub.info (opens in a new window)

#scams

Alert message re doorstep mattress sellers

Derbyshire County Council’s Trading Standards Service have received numerous complaints from members of the public regarding the sale of mattresses door-to-door.

The sellers usually arrive in a van and knock at your door to offer mattresses for sale at cheap prices. In one instance, the seller has stated the stock is surplus as a result of a cancelled order. We would advise householders to exercise caution when faced with the sale of these goods in this manner. There is an allegation that the mattresses may not be new, but second-hand and packaged to look like new. In addition, there may be concerns as to the safety of the products.

As a consumer you are entitled to a 7-day ‘cooling-off’ period when buying goods over £35 at the door. The seller must provide paperwork informing you of this and details of their company name and address. Legitimate retailers of these goods do not generally sell door-to-door so we would advise householders not to buy in this way. If you see people attempting to sell mattresses door-to-door in your area, please notify Citizen’s Advice Consumer Services on 08454 040506.

#scams

Financial risk to parents who allow children to play online games

Children who use their parents' bank details to play online games could be running up huge bills.

Our trading standards team is advising parents to follow new Office of Fair Trading (OFT) guidance to make sure their children are not pressurised into making unauthorised purchases while playing computer games online.

The OFT suggests that parents:

Check the 'payment options' settings on their child's laptop, tablet or smart phone. One option is to make sure that a password is required for every purchase rather than opening a 'payment window' in which the password is not needed for further payments

Check whether there are any 'in-game' purchases eg extra lives

Check whether the game contains a social element - ie the option to compete with other players which could incur a cost - by looking at its description on the app store or the game's website

Play the game themselves to understand what children will see.

The OFT also recommends parents carry out these checks regularly as game content can sometimes change via automatic updates.

Our Cabinet Member for Health and Communities Councillor Dave Allen said:

"Problems can arise when children are exposed to potentially unfair or aggressive marketing practices and very quickly run up large bills without their parents' knowledge.

"We want to make sure adults are fully aware of their children's online activity so they can monitor and protect them, as well as directly control any online purchases."

The OFT originally launched an investigation into games last April after a spate of incidents involving children spending up to four-figure sums on in-game purchases without their parents' permission.

The regulator has since published guidelines for how online and mobile games firms promote in-game purchases.

Developers and publishers have been given until April 1 to make sure their games comply with existing consumer protection laws, particularly in relation to children.

Councillor Allen added:

"We welcome the OFT action to protect consumers and hope the new guidance makes it easier for parents to supervise their children playing online games."

Anyone who would like advice about protecting their children from making unauthorised payments online can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506 or get general advice about online safety at www.getsafeonline.org (opens in a new window) or www.oft.gov.uk (opens in a new window)

Payday loans – Some Advice

“I took out a pay day loan to get me to the end of a tight month. I thought I’d be able to pay it back quickly, but the interest rate is high and it’s making my debt problems worse. The money goes straight out of my bank account so I’ve got no choice but to pay. I’m worried I have to take out another loan to cover the payments – what else can I do?”

Pay day lenders make their money from high interest rates and the fact that people often can’t pay back their instalments. Don’t be tempted to take out another loan or to “roll over” your existing loan, which pay day lenders often offer as a quick solution. This will be more expensive in the long run.

When you took out the loan you will have agreed for the company to automatically take a certain amount from your account (through something called a continuous payment authority). Most people think that it’s up to the company making the withdrawals to stop them – this isn’t true. Your bank must stop these payments if you ask them to, so get in touch with your bank straight away.

The next step is to organise a realistic repayment plan and prioritise other debts. Your local Citizens Advice Bureau can help you do this. We regularly negotiate repayment plans for customers who are struggling with unfair pay day loans which mean that they can pay them back without getting caught in a debt spiral.

If you’ve got other debts, it’s really important to prioritise the ones that are most important to pay back quickly. These include your mortgage or rent, gas and electricity, and council tax. You can find detailed advice on which debts to prioritise at the Adviceguide website: http://www.adviceguide.org.uk/england/debt_e/debt_help_with_debt_e.htm

An increasing number of people are turning to pay day loans in these tight times, so you’re not alone. To make sure that people aren’t getting treated unfairly, Citizens Advice are monitoring how well pay day lenders are sticking to their Good Practice Customer Charter. You can play an important part in helping us monitor their behaviour by filling in the survey at www.adviceguide.org.uk. You’ll also find advice and template letters to send to the pay day loan company and to the financial ombudsman if you’ve been wrongly treated.

The crucial thing is to take action now, while you’re still in control of your finances.

#payday loans

Payday Loans – How to make a complaint

Is a payday lender treating you unfairly? Here’s how you can make a complaint.

Step 1 - write to your lender

· The first thing to do is contact your lender and try to sort things out with them. You'll need to do this before taking the complaint further.

· In your complaint, list all the ways in which you think your lender hasn’t followed its commitments laid out in the industry Good Practice Charter.

· Work out what you want your lender to do about your problem and include this in your complaint. If you want to come to a repayment agreement, work out how much you can afford to pay and how often.

· The lender must acknowledge your complaint within five days of receiving it. If they decide to investigate the complaint further, they should tell you and keep you regularly updated.

You can download a template letter from Citizens Advice to help you write your letter of complaint

Step 2

Complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service (FOS)

· You must give your lender eight weeks to respond or to sort the problem out. If you're not happy after this, you can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service. If your complaint is upheld, this may result in some compensation.

· The FOS will look at your complaint and advise you how it could be sorted out. If you don't get the result you want, the FOS will start a formal investigation. The final decision given at the end of this investigation is binding on your lender. However, if you don't agree with it, you can take your lender to court.

· There is a time limit for making the complaint. This is six months from when you get a final decision from your lender about how it is going to deal with your complaint. If you haven't had a response from them at all, the deadline is six months from the end of the eight week period.

· To make a complaint to the FOS, you can download a complaint form from their website at: www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk

#payday loans

Have You Been Treated Unfairly by a Payday Lender?

As part of the Payday loans campaign Citizens Advice has launched a new online animation to help people get on top of their payday loan problems. It explains that payday lenders aren’t allowed to take money from your bank account without you knowing, nor should they put pressure on to borrow more money or contact you at all hours of the day. Citizens Advice is also taking to Twitter with the hashtag #paydaywatch as bureaux from across the country tweet about payday loan cases they are helping with.

Advice tips if you're struggling to repay a payday loan:

· Your payday lender should accept a repayment offer which is reasonable.

· Don't be pressurised to extend your loan – it will cost you more

· It’s not ok for your lender to ring you during the night or more than once a day chasing you for money, or to contact your employer.

· You should be able to get in contact with your payday lender.

· If you are having these problems you can do something about it

· Make a complaint by filling in our simple checklist at www.adviceguide.org.uk

· Get advice from adviceguide.org.uk, from the Citizens Advice consumer service (08454 04 05 06 or 08454 04 05 05 for Welsh language line) or your local bureau

· Make a complaint about a payday loan direct to the Financial Ombudsman Service consumer helpline on 0300 123 9 123 or 0800 023 4567 or via email [email protected]

Advice tips if you are in financial difficulty and considering a payday loan:

· Get help with your money troubles. Your local Citizens Advice can provide debt advice and help you sort out your finances. By making a few changes you may be able to avoid taking out a short-term loan.

· It is important to consider all the other options available to you before taking out a payday loan as they are expensive and could make your money problems worse.

· Pay day loans can be a costly way to deal with short term financial problems and are not suitable for long term money troubles.

· A loan from a credit union is more affordable – check if there's a credit union in your area.

· If you have a bank account, you may be able to agree an overdraft. But be careful of going overdrawn without permission and make sure you understand any fees and charges.

· If you are thinking about taking out a payday loan to pay off other debts, don't. Instead, speak to the companies you owe money to and agree a repayment plan. You can get help with debts from www.adviceguide.org.uk or your local Citizens Advice Bureau.

#payday loans

3 in 4 payday loans could have cause for complaint to Ombudsman

Derbyshire DistrictsCitizens Advice Bureau urges payday loan customers to fight back against unscrupulous lenders

Three in four payday borrowers who got advice from the national Citizens Advice consumer service had been treated unfairly by their lender and could have grounds for an official complaint to the Financial Ombudsman Service, says the national charity.

Citizens Advice Bureaux in the East Midlands have seen a 488% increase in cases involving one or more Pay Day Loans in just one year, and this August they have launched a campaign urging payday loan customers not to let predatory lenders get away with treating them unfairly.

Citizens Advice’s in depth analysis of 665 payday loan cases, reported to its consumer service between 1 January and 30 June 2013, finds that at least 76% could have grounds for an official complaint to the Financial Ombudsman including:

· 1 in 5 were possible cases of fraud – where a person was chased for a loan they hadn’t taken out.

· More than a third involved issues with continuous payment authorities including money that was not authorised to be taken.

· 12% involved harassment whereby lenders pester people with phone calls and text messages rather than accept affordable repayment offers.

· 1 in 10 were about lenders’ unfair treatment of people in financial difficulties.

Latest figures from the national Citizens Advice payday loan tracker reveals that 4 out of 5 were not told by their lender how to complain if there is a problem.

Consumers who are finding it difficult to raise their payday loan problem with their lender can contact the Financial Ombudsman who will help them through the complaint process. There were 160 complaints made to the Financial Ombudsman between April and June this year about payday loans, with 72% upheld in favour of the consumer.

If a complaint is upheld by the Financial Ombudsman – and the consumer has lost out as a result – the lender can be ordered to put things right. Consumers could get a refund on loan repayments, interest or default charges or compensation for any inconvenience caused.

Citizens Advice payday loan tracker also found that 71% of payday loan customers felt they were put under pressure to rollover their loan and 3 in 4 people had repayment problems.

Paul Farnsworth, Social Policy Co-ordinator for Derbyshire Districts Citizens Advice Bureau said:

“We are urging people to stand up to payday lenders who have treated them unfairly by making a complaint. People come to the bureau after lenders have taken money from their bank account without permission or prior warning or have chased them for debts they didn’t have. Consumers often feel powerless against big business but if your complaint is upheld by the Financial Ombudsman you could get money back that was wrongly taken or compensation for poor treatment.”

#payday loans

Worried that you might be the victim of a Scam?

The Action Fraud website has some excellent information and advice that can help you to avoid becoming a victim.

Some signs of a scam

The call, letter, e-mail or text has come out of the blue.

You’ve never heard of the lottery or competition they are talking about .

You didn’t buy a ticket – so can’t win.

They are asking you to send money in advance.

They are saying you have to respond quickly, so you don’t get time to think about it or ask family and friends before you decide.

They are telling you to keep it a secret.

They seem to be offering you something for nothing.

If it seems too good to be true – it probably is.

How to protect yourself

Never give out contact details like your name, phone number or address to strangers or to people who should have this information already.

Never give financial information or details of your identity, bank accounts or credit card to strangers or to businesses that should already hold your details.

Shred anything with your personal or bank details on – don’t just throw it away.

If in doubt, don’t reply. Bin it, delete it or hang up.

Persuasive sales patter? Just say: “No thank you.”

Resist pressure to make a decision straight away.

Never send money to someone you don’t know.

Walk away from job adverts that ask for money in advance.

Ask friends, neighbours or family about whether an offer is likely to be a scam.

If you’ve been a victim, or if you become aware of a scam, you can report it online at http://www.actionfraud.police.uk or by phoning 0300 123 2040.

#Scams awareness month #scams

County council sounds charity bag warning

Derbyshire County Council 's trading standards team has issued the warning following calls from concerned residents about a company delivering bags in Belper, Etwall and Repton to be filled for 'Derbyshire Child Care Homes'. Councillor Dave Allen, Derbyshire County Council Designate Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, said:

"These doorstep collections could give the impression of being on behalf of the county council's children's homes, but they are nothing to do with us. "We don't promote or sponsor door-to-door clothing collections and we don't want people thinking they are donating to children in our care, when they are not."

A number of well-recognised and professionally-managed companies collect clothes as commercial partners of registered charities. However, criminal and unlicensed collection of clothing is becoming widespread. Councillor Allen added:

"It's best to take unwanted clothes directly to the charity shop of your choice. If that's not possible and you want to donate via a bag which is delivered to your home, look for the 'Give with confidence' Fundraising Standards Board logo and check for a charity registration number."

Anyone with doubts about collection companies should call the Clothes Aid helpline on 08450 722 780 and check with their district or borough council that the bags have been licenced. Suspicious door-to-door collections should be reported to Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 040506.

#Scams awareness month

Help Trading Standards put stop to scam mail

Derbyshire Trading Standards is holding an 11-day crackdown on scam letters, leaflets and flyers.

The 'Scamnesty' is part of a national campaign led by the Trading Standards Institute to fight back against fraudsters causing misery to thousands of people nationwide.

The trading standards team is asking people to drop off suspect mail at any of its libraries between 20 and 31 May.

The crackdown will gather information on frauds including those that tempt victims to part with money in the hope of winning a big cash prize. Victims of such deceptions often end up on so-called 'suckers' lists' and get bombarded by similar scams.

Derbyshire Districts Citizens Advice Bureau is also taking part and staff will collect mail at its offices in Belper, Buxton, Chesterfield, Church Gresley, Clay Cross, Heanor, Ilkeston and Matlock.

Councillor Dave Allen, Derbyshire County Council Designate Cabinet Member for Health and Communities, said:

"Scamnesty is really important in helping us understand the ever-changing ways in which criminals target honest members of the public.

"Intelligence gained from leaflets and letters handed in will be used in our investigations, and residents can rest assured that we'll always take action where appropriate.

"The bottom line here is that if an offer seems too good to be true it probably is. That's why I would urge people never to give out their bank details or send any money to these unscrupulous tricksters."

Emma Hagger, chief officer of Derbyshire Districts CAB, said:

"Scam mail is getting more sophisticated and often targets the most vulnerable members of society.

"We're pleased to be linking up with the county council again for the annual Scamnesty appeal."

Officers are also urging people to look out for friends or relatives who may have fallen prey to such scams.

If people think they've been scammed, or know someone who has fallen victim, they can get advice and report it to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 08454 04 05 06, or alternatively report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040, to help stop it happening to others.

Further information is also available at the Think Jessica website, at www.thinkjessica.com, a Derbyshire based charity set up to help and support those affected by the scammers and also to highlight the devastating effects on victims, who can end up losing thousands of pounds.

#Scams awareness month

The Job Scam

It's hard enough to find employment in the current climate as it is. It becomes all the more frustrating when people's efforts to find work are plagued by false offers, opportunists and phony training schemes.

Miss Black is in her 30s and has recently resigned from her job following severe depression which has been attributed to stress at work. She is now looking forward to a fresh start and is keen to find a new job.

She posted her CV online and a couple of days later she was contacted by a Castle Donnington recruitment agency, who explained that they would be able to help her to find work and manage a career change. She drove to Castle Donnington (around 1 hour away) for an initial meeting. Pleased with what they had told her she booked to return to discuss her career options in detail. At the end of the second meeting she was told that they should 'talk brass' and was then informed that the service she had been offered would come at a cost of £2400.

The client had no job, no income and certainly no access to that kind of money. She felt angry that she was being preyed upon by a company that had gone to some lengths to build a relationship of trust before revealing the true cost of their service.

In this case the company had not advertised its fees on its website or in its literature. Miss Black declined their services and her only losses were her travel expenses as well as the valuable time she could have spent looking for genuine employment. But with so many people losing their jobs, scammers are quick to take advantage of the need to find employment. Very often they will offer work but require some kind of advance payment for equipment or stock. Once they’ve taken your money you may find that the job has disappeared, or that it may not be everything they promised it would be. Also be wary of training courses which promise ‘guaranteed work’ at the end of it. Can they really make that promise?

#Scams awareness month

The Prize Draw Scam

When the chance of winning a fortune plops through your letterbox it can be hard to resist. Perhaps you've already won and all you need to do is claim your prize? All too frequently these kinds of mail are scams, and they often target the most vulnerable in society as this case demonstrates.

When Mrs Brown came to the CAB she was scared for her 87-year-old widowed mother, who had become addicted to entering prize draws which mislead the reader into thinking they are in line for a big win. As a result her mother had spent all her money either buying items she did not want in order to be entered into a draw, or sending money to unknown parties in order to ‘release’ her non-existent winnings.

It started slowly at first, but Mrs Brown’s mother ended up on a ‘sucker’s list’ and is now inundated with this opportunist scam mail, receiving more than 20 letters a week and at least three packages of goods she does not need.

Mrs Brown’s mother is an elderly and vulnerable woman, who has fallen prey to ruthless exploitation. She has lost all her savings and finds herself in debt. The deeper in debt she gets the more her desperation grows and the more vulnerable she is to the promises of big prizes that just keep coming.

Mrs Brown says that her mother’s cupboards are empty as she would rather enter prize draws than buy food. And her mother is not alone. Many vulnerable people find themselves targeted by this sort of scam mail and are powerless to prevent themselves falling victim to it. It’s a form of brainwashing which the organisers of the Think Jessica campaign have called the ‘Jessica Scam Syndrome’. If you know someone who is being targeted by scam mail, you can get help and advice from www.thinkjessica.com.

#Scams awareness month

The PPI Scam

Think you've been tricked into paying for Payment Protection Insurance that you don't want? Well, if you're not careful you could end up being tricked a second time by unscrupulous companies who just want to take your money and run. This case from Derbyshire Dales, Amber Valley and Erewash CAB features a client who was tricked into paying for a compensation claim for a policy he didn't even have:

Mr Green is 68 years old and takes immune suppressants which can leave him confused and easily stressed. When he received a phone call from a claim company who told him that they could get him compensation for miss-sold Payment Protection Insurance (PPI), Mr Green agreed to go ahead and paid an initial £30 fee. Mr Green wasn’t sure whether he had been sold PPI, let alone whether it had been miss-sold, but he was informed it was likely as he had previously taken out car loans.

The £30 fee didn’t seem like too much to pay in return for recovering considerably more in compensation. However, Mr Green subsequently discovered that the company had taken £1300 from his credit card. In fact, the company also tried to take a further £3000, but the card limit had been reached and the transaction was refused.

It turns out that Mr Green did not have grounds for a claim – he didn’t even have PPI. The company made false claims about his compensation then maxed out his credit card.

If you have PPI that you think was miss-sold, there are legitimate companies that can help you. But even then you should be aware that you don’t need to use a claims management company to make a claim. Banks have been told by the FSA to be proactive in ensuring that customers with miss-sold policies are compensated, and they have set aside funds for the purpose. This means that there is a simple straightforward process involved in making a claim. It’s very easy to do for yourself, you will keep every penny of your compensation and there are plenty of places you can get help, including your local CAB.

#Scams awareness month

Rogues enjoying a 'doubled-dupe' recession

Scammers are enjoying a ‘double-dupe recession’ as they prey on people who are struggling to find work or battling with money problems, says Derbyshire Dales, Amber Valley & Erewash Citizens Advice Bureau.

New figures reveal over 22,000 reports of scams were made to the Citizens Advice service in England and Wales in the last 12 months. Yet Citizens Advice says many fail to report if they have been ripped-off.

According to the OFT almost half of us (48%) are targeted by scams with 3 million falling victim to cons costing individuals a total of £3.5 billion a year.

Citizens Advice and Trading Standards are running Scams Awareness Month throughout May warning people to be ever-vigilant against rogues and urging people to ‘spot scams to stop scams.’

An analysis of the national Citizens Advice scams scanner – which has tracked cons since 2007 - revealed opportunistic con artists are targeting people who have fallen on hard times with offers of phoney jobs, training and debt scams. The double dupe scams are :

Training and job ploys: paying for a phantom training course with the false promise of a job or working on a commission basis only to find the firm is a fake and they don’t make any money.

Dangerous debt help: offers of loans or help to clear debts which carries an upfront fee but they never get a loan or help to sort out their debts.

Derbyshire Dales, Amber Valley & Erewash Citizens Advice Bureau is also concerned that rogues will seek to profit from changes to the benefit system, particularly with the introduction to the so-called bedroom tax and localisation of council tax benefit. Our evidence shows that, in the past, people have been ripped off by fake landlords who take deposits for properties that don’t exist or aren’t available for rent and rogues have targeted people looking to reduce their council tax bill by charging for rebanding that doesn’t happen.

Emma Hagger from Derbyshire Dales, Amber Valley & Erewash Citizens Advice Bureau said:

“Rogues are cashing in on people’s job and money troubles. The difficult economic times have been tough for many people in Derbyshire Dales but con artists have found a way to thrive. We’re seeing people who have been dealt a double blow by losing their job and then losing money while trying to find a new one.

“This month we are warning people to be on the look out for rogues looking to make a quick buck at their expense and reminding that scams are crimes so it is vital they are reported.”

Throughout the whole of May Citizens Advice Bureaux and Trading Standards across England and Wales will be reminding people that scams come in all shapes and sizes including adverts, people knocking on your door, emails, letters, phone calls, texts and over the internet.

CABs and Trading Standards Officers will be warning people to look out for key signs that something is a scam like being contacted out of the blue, requests for money in advance or telling you to keep it a secret and have released some new top tips on how to spot a scam and protect yourself from rogues.

What to do if you have been scammed

Report it to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 to help stop it happening to others.

Often you can't get your money back if you've been scammed, especially if you've handed over cash.

If you've paid for goods or services by credit card you have more protection and if you used a debit card you may be able to ask your bank for a chargeback.

Get advice and report it to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 08454 04 05 06 (for advice in Welsh phone 08454 04 05 05) or online advice at www.adviceguide.org.uk

Signs of a scam

The call, letter, e-mail or text has come out of the blue.

You’ve never heard of the lottery or competition they are talking about .

You didn’t buy a ticket – so can’t win.

They are asking you to send money in advance.

They are saying you have to respond quickly, so you don’t get time to think about it or ask family and friends before you decide.

They are telling you to keep it a secret.

They seem to be offering you something for nothing.

If it seems too good to be true – it probably is.

How to protect yourself better

Never give out contact details like your name, phone number or address to strangers or to people who should have this information already.

Never give financial information or details of your identity, bank accounts or credit card to strangers or to the businesses that should already hold your details.

Shred anything with your personal or bank details on – don’t just throw it away.

If in doubt, don’t reply. Bin it, delete it or hang up.

Persuasive sales patter? Just say: “No Thank You.”

Resist pressure to make a decision straight away.

Never send money to someone you don’t know.

Walk away from job adverts that ask for money in advance.

Ask friends, neighbours or family about whether an offer is likely to be a scam.

Common scams

Lotteries — A phone call, text or email proclaims a huge lottery win – even though the receiver hasn’t bought a ticket. In order to collect winnings you are asked to send money to cover “processing” or “administration” costs.

Phishing — an email (or Vishing for phone calls) pretending to be from your bank asking for you to update, validate or confirm details so that scammers can access your account.

SMShing - mobile phone text messages lure you onto fraudulent websites or invite you to call a premium rate mobile number or download malicious content via the phone or web.

Electricity meter credit – people on pre-payment meters are offered cut-price electricity but end up paying for their energy twice. Criminals use cloned keys to top up energy credit illegally. You end up paying for the energy twice – first to the fraudsters and then to the company at the correct rate.

Pyramid selling — This is an illegal trick where you are told you can earn money by recruiting new members to a money-making venture. In reality only a tiny minority make money, everyone else loses.

#Scams awareness month

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Derbyshire Consumer Hub