Holiday fraud is when a criminal impersonates trusted websites or creates fake adverts to trick you into booking a holiday and giving them your money or personal information.

Criminals may even research your social media and call you out of the blue to say one of your friends recommended you to seem legitimate.

Follow our tips to protect yourself from holiday fraud:

• Always research the company you’re booking through and read reviews
• Avoid clicking on links from social media, emails or messages
• If someone calls you out of the blue saying a friend recommended you, hang up
• Always use a secure payment platform from trusted retailers – avoid paying with bank transfer

Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to Report Fraud.

Now that spring has finally sprung, please be alert to uninvited doorstep traders offering home repairs or garden maintenance.

If an uninvited trader knocks on your door and tells you that urgent work needs doing on your house or garden, don’t take their word for it. Also be wary of traders offering ‘today only’ offers. This is pressure selling. Reputable tradespeople often have a waiting list for work and can never normally attend on the day.

You can deter unwanted doorstep traders by displaying a ‘no uninvited callers’ sign on your door or in your front window. You can download a free 'no uninvited callers' sign from our website.

If you need work doing, always get a second opinion from someone you trust and get at least 3 quotes before having any work carried out. You can find a reputable trader by speaking to friends/family or choose one that is part of the Buy With Confidence scheme.

For consumer advice or to report a trader to Trading Standards, please call the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

We've heard reports from our friends at Bassetlaw District Council that fake Garden Waste Subscription leaflets are being sent to Nottinghamshire residents through the post.

These leaflets are not from your local council. If you receive one of these leaflets, please do not scan the QR code on the document. This is likely to be a scam.

If you have scanned the QR code please call Report Fraud on 0300 123 2040 for further advice and information. Alternatively, if you have any questions about garden waste collections, please contact your local district or borough council.

Did you know swallowing button batteries can cause serious internal damage?

Even 'dead' button batteries can still have enough power to badly hurt a small child. When you remove a button battery, store it securely, and recycle it properly and promptly.

Make sure you know what gadgets and toys use button batteries and always check that the button battery compartment is secure.

Store spare button batteries securely and out of children’s reach. Be careful when opening multipacks of button batteries to ensure they do not fall on the floor.

If you suspect your child has swallowed a button battery, dial 999 or take them to the nearest A&E department.

A chilling new wave of AI-assisted fraud is targeting older people by cloning their voices to enable the criminals to set up unauthorised direct debits.

Fraudsters start the process with a so-called ‘lifestyle survey’ phone call – seemingly harmless, but in fact designed to gather detailed personal, health and financial information. The criminals use this data to develop AI-generated voice clones used to simulate consent for direct debits, deceiving even legitimate businesses and financial providers.

These details appear then to be passed or sold to other criminal operations who, with the details, can easily circumvent banks and set up payments without the victim’s knowledge. Unfortunately, victims often do not realise payments are being taken.

To help protect yourself and your loved ones from this type of scam, we are encouraging everyone to speak to friends and relatives about scam calls.

It’s also a good idea to check bank statements regularly for unusual transactions and if you spot anything suspicious contact your bank immediately. Any scams should also be reported to Report Fraud. (formally known as Action Fraud).

Another type of scam we need to alert you to is one involving fake job offers. Criminals are impersonating recruiters and HR professionals – sending messages or leaving voicemails to trick you into thinking they’re offering you a job.

If you are looking for a job, make sure you watch out for scammers claiming to be recruiters. These are the red flags you need to be aware of:

• Claims they’ve reviewed your CV even though you never sent it
• Pressure to act fast or pay to secure a role
• The offer of coaching or CV services with no credentials

If you receive a message or call like this, take a moment to stop and think before sharing any personal information. Ask yourself, could it be fake? Always do your research on the recruiter, company or service before you engage. And remember, a legitimate company or recruiter will never ask you to pay to apply for, or secure the job.