Valentine's Day might be just around the corner, but it is important to be on your guard to protect yourself from romance scams.

Criminals are experts at creating fake online dating profiles and will try to establish a relationship with their target quickly. Once they have gained their victim's trust, they will usually talk about their need for urgent financial help with promises to pay back the money they want to borrow. But they never do, and they may even ask for more.

Take a moment to stop and think about whether the person is who they say they are. Check in with family and friends for a second opinion and only share your information with someone you have met in person.

If you think you've been scammed, contact your bank immediately on a number you know to be correct such as the one on the back of your card. Make sure you also report it to Action Fraud.

Criminals will use ‘phishing’ links in emails and messages to try and trick you into parting with your personal or financial information. You may get a text that appears to be from a genuine organisation, but this could be a scammer attempting to steal your personal or financial information.

Be cautious of any unexpected texts or emails and if it looks suspicious, forward the text to 7726, as this will report it to your phone provider.

If you think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank immediately.

The Department for Energy Security and Net Zero, and Ofgem have announced that there are quality issues with some solid wall insulation fitted through government schemes. This includes issues such as poor installation or failure to meet building regulations, which can lead to problems like damp or mould. 

Ofgem will be sending letters to residents who have had work done through one of these schemes setting out the next steps, which may include having the insulation work checked by a qualified professional either by a review of the installation documents, or a visit to your property. If your insulation work is found to be faulty, your installer will be asked to fix the issue. You should not be asked to pay any money for this work. 

Be alert to scammers who may try to take advantage of this situation, as fraudsters often use tactics such as claiming to be from an official organisation to then ask for your personal details or financial information.

If you have received a letter regarding insulation, but you’re unsure if it’s genuine, you can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 for further support and advice.

In the UK, anyone can write a will. This means that you can write it yourself or choose a will writing business to write it on your behalf. Whichever option you choose, it is important that you understand what you are buying, and your rights if things go wrong.

Beware too of adverts and cold calls from rogue will writers promising to make wills on the cheap. These could be a scam that could leave you out of pocket, and with a will that you can’t rely on, or without a will at all.

There is lots of free advice from the Government about what to consider when buying will writing services, or if you are thinking about writing your own will.

Take care, as sometimes online adverts for goods and services can be part of a purchase scam.

A purchase scam is when a criminal creates fake adverts online to encourage you to buy goods that don’t actually exist. This type of fraud accounted for a whopping £42.3 million worth of losses in the first half of 2024 alone.

Always take a moment to consider whether an online link or website is reliable before buying goods online.

You can also use the free website scam checker tool from Get Safe Online to check whether a website is a scam or unsafe before visiting.

A serial fraudster and repeat offender who defrauded his victims out of more than £75,000 has been sentenced to a further three years and nine months in prison.

Carl Nicholas Mould, 58, of HMP Ranby, Nottinghamshire, targeted homeowners who required property repairs and home improvement works. He visited customers in their own homes and – often using a false name – persuaded victims to agree to works, convincing them to agree to a full range of home improvements such as driveways, fencing, damp proofing, plumbing, bathroom fitting, tiling, carpentry, carpet fitting and double-glazing installations. Victims paid large deposits upfront, but once works commenced they quickly ran into problems with delays and poor-quality workmanship.

His successful prosecution follows an investigation by the National Trading Standards Regional Investigation Team (East Midlands), which is hosted by Nottinghamshire County Council.

If you or someone you know has experienced problems of this nature or has concerns about the trading practices of a particular trader, please contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.

Love your trusty household appliances? Then make sure you are kept up to date if ever a safety repair or recall is needed by registering them with Register My Appliance.

Registering your appliances is free and easy and only takes a few minutes to do. It works for almost 60 brands and covers household appliances that are up to 12 years old.