Consumeradvice

Scams

Cyber Security – Protecting Your Information When Shopping Online

Cyber scams can come in various forms and impact consumers in different ways. With a variety of methods employed by scammers to gather consumer information, being aware can ensure that we are not caught out. This is particularly relevant when shopping online, with scammers utilising social media platforms and cloned websites to gather personal information. …

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Online Shopping – Understanding the Gimmicks and Making the Most of Your Money

Online shopping means easier access to purchase the things that we want, with delivery straight to our doors. With many offers available, and clever online and email marketing directed towards consumers, understanding the tricks of the trade that are used to convince us to make purchases are important in ensuring we avoid the pitfalls, and …

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Contactless Fraud: Changing Payment Methods Mean Increased Risks

We have seen many changes in retail since the start of the year. The coronavirus pandemic has meant that shopping looks and feels very different for most of us. Limits to the numbers of shoppers allowed in store, as well as one-way systems and rules about spacing have had an impact on the retail store …

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Energy Efficiency Social Media Scams: Spotting and Avoiding the Fraudsters

There has been an increase in reports of scams that target people who need maintenance and energy efficiency works carried out on their homes through social media. Scammers often appear legitimate through the use of ‘buzzwords’, such as ‘bounce-back loans’, and by mentioning official bodies, such as the Government, when in reality they are not …

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Amazon Prime Day: 13th & 14th October 2020 – Avoiding Disappointment through Informed Choices

There are considerations for consumers when making purchases online at any time, but care should be taken during online events to ensure your purchases are safe and provide value-for-money. The impulse to purchase something straight away when we see a bargain is all too familiar for most of us. To ensure that our expectations are …

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Covid-19 Scams – Protecting Your Information, Your Finances, and Your Family

Scammers are continually finding more inventive ways of obtaining our personal information and are more convincing than ever, when reassuring us that they are contacting us from trusted, reputable sources. Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumeradvice.scot has seen the number of reports of scams increase, demonstrating not only the more complex methods employed …

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COVID-19 & Faulty Goods: Know Your Rights

Throughout the public health crisis and resulting lockdown restrictions, consumeradvice.scot has received a significant increase in the number of cases relating to faulty goods and safety concerns. Between April and July this year, we have seen faulty goods cases increase by nearly 110%. Since March, Scottish consumers have witnessed a seismic change in how they interact with, and …

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Counting the Cost of the Illegal Puppy Trade

The illegal trading of puppies is a practice which not only proves incredibly damaging to the animals involved, but can also severely impact consumers, carrying a significant financial and emotional toll. Scottish Government figures estimate that almost half (45%) of people who bought a puppy in 2019 purchased the animal online, an increase of 25% …

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Test & Protect Scams

According to the latest data from Experian, UK fraud rates have jumped 33% during the since the implementation of lockdown measures in the UK as a result of COVID-19. Action Fraud, the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, has reported that over 16,000 UK consumers have been affected by online shopping and auction fraud, with nearly one …

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consumeradvice.scot Join Partnership to #ShutOutScammers

consumeradvice.scot is working in collaboration with partners at Trading Standards Scotland, Police Scotland, Scottish Fire and Rescue and Neighbourhood Watch Scotland, to raise awareness of doorstep scams and the impacts that they have on Scottish consumers. The #ShutOutScammers campaign launches today (Monday 15th June 2020) and highlights the impacts that doorstep scams have on consumers in …

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