The quick thinking actions of a member of staff at Nat West Bank in Broadgate prevented a resident from losing a large amount of money to a romance scam.

The lady’s supposed boyfriend whom she had met online claimed to be stranded in Nigeria where he was allegedly working on oil rigs. Claims were made that he had lost his bank card and had his passport taken off him and needed money in order to get back to the UK.

Thankfully, bank staff alerted Trading Standards prior to any money being released, and after a discussion with the lady, she decided against sending any.

Dating scammers typically create fake online identities with photographs taken from other sources in order to lure their victims in. Once a ‘victim’ is found the scammer expresses strong emotions for them in a relatively short period of time and may even send them gifts to prove their devotion.

They may take several weeks, or even months, to build up a trusting relationship but once their victim’s defences are down, the scammer will inevitably ask for money, gifts or banking/credit card details.

They may claim money is desperately needed for medical treatment for a sick relative, to support a struggling business venture, to pay for flights to visit their victim or to pay for taxes or administration fees to release property, such as gold, or funds which are located abroad. The scammer will typically promise their victim a share of the funds.

Our advice to anyone who is or may be considering using dating websites:

• Never send money or give bank / credit card details to anyone you haven’t met.
• Remember, people you meet with online may falsely claim to be UK-based or send you a photo claiming it is of them.
• Be suspicious if someone insists you communicate by email instead of using the dating site. 
• Trust your instincts – if something feels wrong it probably is. 

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With Halloween upon us, Coventry Trading Standards is reminding parents to protect their children from flammable fancy dress costumes. The issue was highlighted last year when presenter Claudia Winkleman’s daughter was burned when her Halloween fancy dress costume accidentally caught fire.

Halloween and other fancy dress costumes are classed as toys which are not subject to the same strict fire regulation testing as everyday clothing. All children's fancy dress costumes must be labelled with a 'CE' mark, which means they meet toy safety regulations. Parents are strongly advised to only buy costumes that display this mark and report any that don't. But remember, even those that comply with toy safety regulations can still catch fire but should burn at a rate that will allow a child to get out before a serious injury occurs.

If a child’s clothing does catch fire, remember:

STOP – stop what you’re doing and stay very still.

DROP – drop to the floor.

ROLL – roll backwards and forwards until the flames are out.

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Coventry Trading Standards are again warning Apple iTunes Store users to be aware of phishing emails attempting to steal your Apple ID log in details as well as personal and financial details.

A local resident has reported receiving an authentic looking email ‘invoice’ from the Apple iTunes Store in regards to an order that was placed. At the end of the email, there is a statement to say that if you did not authorise this purchase to click on the link at the end of the email: Manage/Cancel Applications.

If you click on this link, you will be taken to a fake server and a page is displayed asking you to provide personal information, including full credit/debit card details.

The iTunes Store will never ask you to provide personal information or sensitive account information (such as passwords or credit card numbers) via email.

If you do have a genuine Apple account, you can check it with Apple.com directly, but do not use any links in the email. Just type the sites address into your browser.

If you receive what you think is a phishing email claiming to be from Apple you can forward it to them, full details are available on the Apple website. 

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Poundland has withdrawn thousands of ‘Fright Nite’ Halloween wigs from its shelves as they could be flammable.

The products affected are the Fright Nite long wig, short bob wig and curly wig, in green, blue, black, red and pink.

People are advised to check the barcode on their product. If it is one of those listed below it should be returned to the nearest store for a refund.

Long Wigs:  5054110002671, 5054110002688, 5054110002695, 5054110002701, 5054110002718.

Short Bob Wigs: 5054110002626, 5054110002633, 5054110002640, 5054110002657, 5054110002664, 5054110280475, 5054110280482, 5054110280499, 5054110280505, 5054110280512.

Curly Wigs:  5054110002725, 5054110002732, 5054110002749, 5054110002756, 5054110002763.

Advice: If you have purchased one of these products or have any concerns regarding any other Poundland wig you have purchased previously to August 2016, please return it to your nearest store for a full refund.

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Mackays Ltd is recalling two condiment products which contain sulphur dioxide and is not mentioned on the label. This means the products are a possible health risk for anyone with a sensitivity to sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites.

Product name: Horseradish Sauce
Brand Name: Mrs Bridges
Jar size: 180g
Best before end: July 2018
Batch Code: 6195

Product name: Caramelised Red Onion Marmalade with Chilli
Brand Name: Mackays
Jar size: 225g
Best before end: July 2019
Production Code: 6199

Advice: If you have bought either of the above products and have a sensitivity to sulphur dioxide and/or sulphites, do not eat it. Instead, return the products to the retailer for a full refund.

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