Trying to get tickets to your dream event?

Be aware that criminals create fake posts or pages on social media and search engines to scam people looking for tickets or travel deals.

Follow these tips to avoid ticket fraud: 

• Stick to official ticketing sites and official resale – avoid buying tickets on social media.
• Double check there are no small changes or errors in the web address.
• Look for the padlock symbol and ‘https’ in the web address: ‘s’ stands for secure.
• Use secure payment methods and avoid paying by bank transfer.

If you’re being rushed into parting with your money or information, remember you can say no.

Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve been scammed and report it to Report Fraud (formerly known as Action fraud).

Our trading standards team has received reports of a rogue trader cold calling residents in the Broxtowe area, offering door and window alarms for sale. In one case, the individual claimed to be representing the council.

We wanted to make you aware that staff from Broxtowe Borough Council and Nottinghamshire County Council DO NOT visit homes selling goods or services.

Our advice is to never purchase items or services from cold callers. If you do not recognise the person at your door, do not answer your door, say 'no’ and if they refuse to leave, contact the police.

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 (we’ve included a link in the first comment).

If you are worried about unwanted callers, or need to report a rogue trader, you can do this by calling the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133.

Please do not microwave squishy toys!

A dangerous social media trend is urging children to put silicone squishy toys in the microwave, to make them softer and more pliable. Please don’t let them do it.

The toys get dangerously hot inside, even though they remain cool on the outside. If squeezed they can explode, spraying boiling gel and leading to severe burns, hospital admissions, and lasting scars.

Please talk to children about these risks and share this message to keep others safe.

Illegal tobacco harms our communities in several different ways. Local businesses are undercut by cheaper illegal products. Illegal tobacco funds organised crime and brings criminal activity to our streets. It also leads young people to start smoking from an early age and discourages people from quitting smoking.

Spotting illegal tobacco can be difficult, but things to look out for include:

• Cheap prices
• Bright and colourful packaging
• Spelling mistakes
• Modified logos
• Unusual taste

As a reminder, legal tobacco is only sold in plain olive packaging. Cigarettes have a minimum pack size of 20 and hand rolling tobacco must be sold in at least 30g pouches.

If you suspect a business is selling illegal tobacco products, please report it to the Citizens Advice consumer service by calling 0808 223 1133.

Across the UK landline phone services are changing and scammers are looking to exploit this. You may have heard about the PSTN switch-off, but if you haven’t let us give you the lowdown.

Traditionally, landline phones used underground copper wires as part of the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) to enable communication. However, that technology has become unreliable and harder to maintain so it’s being replaced with digital phone services that use an internet connection to provide service. This change is being led by the telecommunications industry and is happening nationwide. It’s expected to be complete by January 2027.

Our trading standards team is warning residents and businesses that fraudsters are using the approaching PSTN switch-off as an opportunity to target landline users. Posing as telecom providers, the scammers tell landline users that they must “pay now” to secure their phone line ahead of the deadline, or risk being disconnected.

While some customers may receive a genuine call from their telecom provider about the upcoming switch, it’s important to remember that your phone or broadband provider will never pressure you to make immediate decisions or threaten that you will lose your service if you don’t act quickly. If you are unsure, hang up and contact your provider directly using a trusted number from their public facing website or your latest bill.

Never allow unexpected callers to access your home or equipment.

A farmer from Lincolnshire has been sentenced to four and a half years in prison after being found guilty of committing a long-running series of livestock thefts and animal welfare offences.

The court heard that between 2016 and 2023, Peter Parker, aged 60, of The Clays, Brant Broughton, targeted Newark Livestock Market, Hereford Livestock Market and Penrith and District Farmers Mart. CCTV footage showed him arriving at the markets late at night with a lorry load of sheep, which he would swap for other sheep that were of a higher quality than his own. In some instances, Parker simply stole sheep from the livestock markets. At the Newark market alone, Parker was responsible for stealing almost 650 sheep worth at least £23,000 in the summer of 2017 

Parker’s sentencing was the result of a joint prosecution between Nottinghamshire County Council Trading Standards, West Mercia Police and Cumbria Police.

If you have any concerns about the welfare of livestock or farm animals these can be reported to Trading Standards through the Citizens Advice consumer service on 0808 223 1133.