Criminals are experts at impersonating people, organisations and the police so it can be difficult to spot scam texts, emails and phone calls.
However, there are things we can all do to protect ourselves. As Brits we aren’t renowned for being direct - new research from Take Five reveals 92% of Brits have said 'yes' because they don't want to appear rude saying ‘no’. However, Take Five is warning that when it comes to fraudsters, being indirect could have serious financial and emotional consequences. If someone contacts you asking for your personal or financial information it’s important to say ‘no’. It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
We encourage you to perfect the art of saying ‘no’ by making sure you Stop, Challenge, Protect.
Have you been cold called about home appliance insurance?
We have seen an increase in reports from residents who have received telephone calls from companies offering to renew the breakdown/repair cover on their white goods and other household appliances.
These cover plans are in effect contractual agreements to carry out a service, and not insurance policies. The agreements contain generic wording, and give little information about what cover would be given should customer ever try to use the agreement.
Most commonly, they’ll pretend you already have a policy with them and offer to renew it for a cheaper price. Some people who do have appliance warranties are often caught out by this.
They’ll then sign you up for pricey monthly direct debits for services that probably don’t even exist.
Others just go straight in for the hard sell, often calling dozens of times a day, offering increasingly ‘better’ deals.
Most people probably don’t even need appliance breakdown cover, as many common appliance issues are covered by home contents insurance.
If you think you’ve been mis-sold a policy, or are having trouble cancelling one, contact Citizens Advice Consumer Service for advice. You should be able to claim your money back under the Direct Debit Guarantee, or under Section 75 if you paid over £100 using a credit card. If you’ve paid out using a debit card, you can ask your bank to refund you through its chargeback procedure.
While there are legitimate insurers who will cover household appliances if they breakdown, Trading Standards would urge residents to always do their research, and never agree to any type of cover plan or ‘warranty’ as the result of a cold call. If an extended warranty was purchased with the goods on initial purchase, check the paperwork, and don’t respond to cold callers.
To report scams to Trading Standards or to obtain advice, contact our partners at the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.
We are proud to be supporting Gas Safety Week 2021, taking place 13 - 19 September.
Gas Safety Week is an annual safety week to raise awareness of gas safety and the importance of taking care of your gas appliances. It is coordinated by Gas Safe Register, the official list of gas engineers who are legally allowed to work on gas.
Badly fitted and poorly serviced gas appliances can cause gas leaks, fires, explosions and carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning. CO is a highly poisonous gas that can kill quickly and without warning, as you cannot see it, taste it or smell it.
By taking care of your gas appliances properly you are taking care of your home and your loved ones. Follow these few simple checks to keep you and your family safe.
Check your gas appliances every year. Gas appliances should be safety checked once a year and serviced regularly by a Gas Safe registered engineer. Tenants – make sure your landlord arranges this. Set a reminder so you don’t forget at StayGasSafe.co.uk.
Look out for your local community. You may have a friend, relative or neighbour who is unable to arrange their own gas safety check or are unaware of what they need to do to keep safe. Help them stay safe by ensuring that they have their appliances checked and serviced regularly.
Check your engineer is Gas Safe registered. You can find or check an engineer at GasSafeRegister.co.uk or call 0800 408 5500.
Check your engineer is qualified for the type of gas work you need doing e.g. natural gas, domestic boiler. You can find this information on the back of their Gas Safe ID card and on the Gas Safe Register website.
Check for warning signs that could indicate your (or others) appliances are not working correctly. Signs may include lazy yellow /orange flames instead of crisp blue ones, black marks on or around the appliance, a pilot light that keeps going out and too much condensation in the room.
Know the six main symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning – headaches, dizziness, breathlessness, nausea, collapse and loss of consciousness.
Install an audible carbon monoxide alarm and make sure your friends and relatives have one too. Check they are marked EN50291 and display the British Standards’ Kitemark.
For gas safety advice and to find or check an engineer visit the Gas Safe Register website at GasSafeRegister.co.uk. Alternatively call the free helpline on 0800 408 5500.
Which?, the UK’s consumer champion, has launched a new call for applications to support research projects aiming to improve understanding of the specific consumer harms certain communities experience, and develop evidence-based solutions.
Consumer harm can take many forms, and can be difficult to spot, particularly in digital markets. In some circumstances, certain groups of consumers – for example, low-income households, women, people living with disabilities or health conditions, or members of diverse ethnic communities – might be exposed to more harm than other groups.
The research projects should cover Which?’s four impact areas of money, consumer rights and protections, digital life and scams.
A total of £75,000 is available. There is no set minimum or maximum grant.
It is anticipated that a small number of high-quality projects will be funded. Applicants should cost their project based on what they need.
The grant will cover costs which are directly attributable to work furthering the Consumer Association’s charitable purposes:
For charities, the funding will cover staff salaries and a reasonable amount of core costs/ overheads, in proportion to the size of the project. Capital costs for equipment will only be funded where specifically required to complete a project.
For UK higher education institutions (HEIs), the grant will cover all direct costs related to the management and delivery of the project, but not indirect costs.
Applications will be accepted from UK-registered charities or UK universities with exempt charitable status.
There is a two-stage application process.
The deadline for stage one applications is 23:59 on 29 September 2021.
Card Factory are recalling their TE20042 Trad Mug (Wonderful Teacher), that was on sale, instore and online, between 24/05/2021 and 17/08/2021.
The item is incorrectly labelled as being microwave safe. The item has a metallic coating on the handle which contains about 5% metal, therefore the handle of the mug can easily overheat due to good heat conductivity of metal, resulting in burns to the skin.
If you own the mug, please stop using it and return it to Card Factory for a full refund. If you gave the mug as a gift, please make this individual is aware of the recall.
