England is hosting the Rugby World Cup this year and official tickets are currently on sale.

Ticket fraud is very common in the run up to popular events and scammers will target victims via bogus websites.

Common tactics used:

• Websites offering the chance to buy tickets which either haven’t gone on sale yet or have sold out
• Tickets are paid for but never delivered
• Tickets are delivered but turn out to be fake

Stay protected when purchasing tickets online and only use official providers: https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com  

For extra security, pay using a credit card as the card issuer would be jointly liable for the failure of goods or services as long as a single tickets costs more than £100 and less that £30,000.

Visit the National Trading Standards website for advice on how to protect yourself from Rugby World Cup 2015 Scams.

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Coventry Trading Standards is warning consumers to beware of advertisements on Internet small ads selling pets. One local resident contacted the service after she found an advert on Facebook for a Pug puppy for sale where the seller claimed to be based in Scotland.

She was told that a courier would bring her the puppy and was told to pay upfront by Ukash vouchers which are untraceable once cashed.

Had the resident fallen for this the caller would have no doubt tried to persuade them to disclose the UKASH reference numbers (not realising this would release the payment). The caller may have also attempted to ask for further payments to cover ‘vaccinations’ or 'papers' for the puppy.

UKASH have information on their website on how to avoid being a victim to a Ukash linked scam - https://www.ukash.com/en-gb/security-alerts/

If you are considering buying a puppy, check the RSPCA’s advice at: http://www.rspca.org.uk/adviceandwelfare/pets/dogs/puppy/getpuppysmart

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Yell have issued a warning that some of their customers are receiving cold calls from individuals purporting to be Yell employees.

The fraudsters claim there is an overpayment on the customer’s account dating back to June 2013, and a refund of around £135 is due. They quote the last 4 digits of the card alleged to have been used by the customer to pay. At this point, most customers are not usually able to verify these details immediately, so the fraudsters ask for confirmation of current credit / debit card or bank details so as the refund can be processed.

In reported cases where this information has been provided, money has subsequently been taken from accounts for transactions not recognised.

Yell confirm that if a customer is due a refund, this will be processed by BACS via a bank account. If there are no valid bank details, a cheque is issued. Yell do not need to phone customers to confirm any details in order to process a refund.

When Yell contact customers with reference to payments, the employee will offer their full name, their department, and confirmation that they are calling from Yell. The Yell employee will also ask to speak to the person named on the account.

If any businesses have fallen foul of this scam, the advice is to make immediate contact with either the bank or card provider immediately so as they can take the required action.

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Fovitor International Ltd is recalling its Dzomi palm oil (1 litre bottle) with a ‘best before’ end date of 31 October 2016 because it contains the illegal dye Sudan IV which is potentially genotoxic and possibly carcinogenic.

Sudan dyes are red dyes that are used for colouring solvents, oils, waxes, petrol, and shoe and floor polishes.

No other Fovitor International Ltd or Dzomi products are known to be affected.

If you have bought the above product, do not use it. Instead, return it to the store where it was purchased from for a full refund.

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Bravura Foods is recalling its ‘Peanut Hottie’ Peanut Butter Flavour Hot Drink because a packaging error means a batch contains Peanut Butter & Chocolate Flavour Hot Drink instead. This means soya is not mentioned in the ingredients and the product is a possible health risk for anyone with an allergy to soya.

Pack size: 260g

‘Best before’ end: 16 October 2016

Batch: B:157384

Advice: If you have bought the above product and have an allergy to soya do not drink it. Instead, return the product to the store from where it was bought for a full refund.

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For a list of all products that have been recalled visit the Trading Standards Institute website

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