We have issued alerts in the past about the dangers of buying mattresses from people going door to door, and have received yet another report from the Wareham Green area. A white transit van has been spotted offering Orthopaedic and Memory Foam mattresses for sale.

Mattresses sold this way are often offered at substantially reduced prices. However, buying such items on the doorstep is risky as it is highly unlikely that you will be able to contact the trader should something go wrong with the product. There are also concerns over the safety of the mattresses. It would be difficult to prove if any Fire Safety label was genuine, what chemicals the mattress may contain as well as the hygiene implications.

The Sleep Council has an extremely good video showing the pitfalls of buying mattresses from people selling from the back of a van.

It shows that mattresses sold in this fashion are often old and discarded ones that have simply been recovered or could pose a safety hazard and although they may display a Fire Safety Label there is no way of checking if this was genuine or not.

Our advice: Do not purchase goods or services from people who approach you in the street or from callers who cold call on your doorstep.

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Trading Standards is issuing a warning on yet another variation of the PC scam.

Whilst looking at Facebook, a local resident saw an article in their news feed reporting some celebrity news.

On clicking to read the article, a message came up to say that their PC was about to stop working as it was infected with a virus. The resident was asked to contact 0800 0869834 to speak to an engineer who would be able to resolve the issue.

Thankfully the resident took no further action, but online reports on the phone number have shown that others who have phoned have been advised they are through to ‘Microsoft Support.’ Remote access to your PC  is requested and of course, there is also a payment to be made for this ‘service’.

Allowing remote access may let the caller install an antivirus programme that you can often download for free from the Internet. They may also take the opportunity to interrogate your PC for personal information which could be used for fraudulent purposes. They could also install malware that may damage your PC or track your usage.

Our advice as with any unsolicited email or call from someone offering a service is not to deal with them no matter what they say or claim.

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Trading Standards is warning of a new email scam following a report from a Westwood resident.

The email claimed to be from PayPal, and informed the resident they made a PayPal fift payment of 51 GBP to someone called Brian Munch which of course was untrue. The email advised to go to the site if this payment had not been authorised.

The website link contained in the email sends you to what looks like the genuine PayPal site, but suspicions were aroused when it was realised that all the account details, including bank account details were being requested.

This was a typical scam ‘phishing’ email where attempts are made to trick you into revealing personal or financial information such as bank details, passwords etc.The links contained in such emails can take you to fake websites where any information you input can be collected.

PayPal advise that if you think you've received a phishing email, forward it to spoof@paypal.co.uk and then delete the fake email from your mailbox. If you've responded to a fraudulent email and believe your PayPal account may now have been accessed, you should report the unauthorised access immediately.

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The following notice has been issued by the retailer:

It has been brought to our attention that in small numbers of reported instances the white nozzle of the drinking bottle lid has detached from the main lid, which is a potential choking hazard. Please note there is no issue with the bike itself.

Spike Children's Bike

• 12" Catalogue number           304/3686
• 14" Catalogue number           292/7246
• 16" Catalogue number           297/7636

Advice:
If you have purchased one of the affected bikes please immediately remove the lid from the bottle and dispose of the lid with normal household waste. We are offering a replacement lid which will fit your bottle in the same way.

To register for your replacement please visit: www.clickspares.co.uk/spike

Find out more:
Telephone: 0345 640 2020
Web: www.clickspares.co.uk/spike

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There is a voluntary recall on all MY16 Venge ViAS S-Works and Pro level frames.

Affected models: All Model Year 2016 Venge ViAS frames with rim brakes. This includes S-Works and Pro level frames sold as complete bikes and/or modules and all warranty frames.

What is the issue: Specialized has received isolated reports from the field of the rear wheel coming out of the rear dropouts, which can cause fractures in the rear triangle. When this happens, there is a risk of injury as a rider may lose control and fall.

Advice: Please stop using your bike and bring it to your nearest Authorized Specialized Retailer for a free installation of a new rear derailleur hanger.  The new improved hanger will prevent the rear wheel from coming out of the dropouts. Your Authorized Specialized Retailer will also do a free inspection of your rear triangle.  Please also review the owner's manual addendum sent with this notice.

For  questions,  please  contact  your  Authorized  Specialized  Retailer  or  Rider  Care  at 020  8391  3502 or customerserviceuk@specialized.com.

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