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A reminder to give safely when donating to Ukraine
As the conflict and ensuing humanitarian situation in Ukraine continues to escalate, it is vital that charitable donations of goods and money reach their intended causes, because sadly there are unscrupulous criminals out there who will use the crisis to try and scam people out of their money.
If you are looking to donate to causes working to support and protect people affected by the invasion of Ukraine, the Charity Commission and Fundraising Regulator have urged people to make sure they are donating safely by following these steps: to make sure the charity is genuine:
- Make sure the charity is registered and regulated by looking up its name and registration number on the charity register
- Be careful when responding to emails or clicking on links within them
- Try to find out more about the charity to understand how they are spending their funds
- Look out for the Fundraising Badge on charity fundraising materials, this is the logo which shows that a charity has committed to fundraise in line with the Code of Fundraising Practice
If you’re looking to give your house or garden a spring makeover, make sure it doesn’t turn into a DIY disaster by using companies and tradespeople that are part of our ‘Buy With Confidence’ Approved Trader Scheme.
Buy With Confidence covers all sorts of businesses, so whether you need a reliable plumber, accountant, pest controller, landscaper, electrician or anything else, you can search for Trading Standards Approved companies close to you.
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While spring brings blue skies, blooms and bees, unfortunately it can also signal the arrival of unwanted rogue doorstep callers, offering services such as gardening or driveway and roof repairs.
To protect yourself against rogue traders we strongly advise against buying goods or services from doorstep callers. Deter unwanted doorstep traders by displaying a ‘no uninvited callers’ sign on your door or in your front window. You can download one of these for free from our website.
If you do answer the door, always ask for identification from traders who turn up out of the blue. If in doubt call the organisation directly to verify that the trader is who they say they are. Don’t rely on the contact details that the trader provides for this either, as they might not be genuine.
You can report suspected rogue doorstep traders by calling Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133, or if the caller will not leave and tries to gain entry then call the Police on 999.
Age UK and Action Fraud have also produced a video with more tips to protect yourself against unwanted doorstep traders.
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According to new research from WhatsApp, almost three fifths of us Brits have received, or know someone who has received, a message-based scam in the last year, most notably via SMS text message (46%) and WhatsApp (13%). Fortunately, it’s easy to protect your account on WhatsApp. To avoid being the victim of a WhatsApp message-based scam, you should remember to Stop, Think, and Call before replying to a suspicious or unusual message:
- STOP: Take a few moments before replying and make sure your WhatsApp two-step verification is switched on to protect your account; that you're happy with your privacy settings, and your six-digit pin is secure.
- THINK: Does the message make sense? Be suspicious if you’re being asked to share a PIN code or pay some money.
- CALL: Check that it really is your friend or family member by calling them directly, or asking them to share a voice note. Only when you’re 100% sure the request is from someone you know and trust, should you consider it.
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Planning your next getaway? Make sure you do your research before you book a holiday, as unscrupulous criminals are using a variety of tricks to con people into booking caravans, villa rentals, holiday lets or holiday packages that don’t actually exist.
Here are our tips to protect yourself against holiday scams:
- Don’t reply to unsolicited emails, texts, social media or calls with holiday offers. Links and attachments in emails may lead to malicious websites or download viruses.
- Where possible, use a credit card when making purchases over £100 and up to £30,000 as you receive free protection under Section 75 of the Consumer Credit Act
- Book your holiday directly with an airline or hotel or through a reputable travel agent that is ABTA or ATOL registered.
Remember, if the holiday offer seems to be too good to be true, then it probably is.
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With the end of the tax year approaching, it’s important to be on the look out for emails and texts from scammers pretending to be from HMRC. These fake emails and texts often appear genuine and try to con the recipient by offering a tax refund in exchange for their personal details or payment information, which can then be used to commit fraud.
HMRC will never tell you about a tax rebate, penalty or ask for your personal details or payment information in an email, text message, via WhatsApp or over the phone. If you do receive a fake email or text message, you can report it to HMRC by emailing phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
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