You must be on your guard against bogus officials offering to give council refunds, relating to council tax.
People are being called and told they may qualify for a refund and then asked for their bank account details so the payment can be made. In some cases residents have also been asked for a £90 admin fee to process their application.
Whilst this con may not yet have arrived in your area, it is worth everyone being vigilant and not giving out any sensitive information to unknown callers, either on the phone or in person. If you receive any such approach, contact the Police and inform them..
If you are due for any kind of refund, you will be informed in writing by your Local Authority and no ‘admin’ fee will be payable!
As a trader, you try your best to keep your customers happy, 25% off, 30% off, even BOGOF (Buy One Get One Free) deals yet there are still people out there with the sole intention of trying to rip you off. If you have premises you can tighten security by fitting a modern security system or even hiring security personell.
As we approach Christmas nearly everyone seems to be in a better-than-normal mood (weather permitting) which can lead us all to lower our defences when it comes to security, especially those involved within the retail market. Shop assistants who are normally very vigilant, tend to become more chatty with customers, and it is in these split seconds when your guard is down, a good thief can rip you off for hundreds of pounds.
Over the last few months the UK has been hit by intermittent Postal strikes and millions of parcels have been left undelivered in many sorting stations around the country. This is bad news for people who ordered goods within this time-period and are still waiting on them being delivered. Not to miss an opportunity – groups of criminals have been using the Postal Strike to their advantage and have devised a scam that is making them thousands of pounds. 
We have all heard of the term counterfeit money so what exactly is it?
Burglars love this time of year, people away late night Christmas shopping, dark nights and peoples lack of security. Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) is a condition that makes people feel depressed due to the shortened day light hours, so just imagine how much more depressed you’ll become arriving home and finding that some stranger has broken in and rifled through your most personal possessions.
Everyone wants to feel safe, no matter if it’s in their own home, walking down their local high street or on a night out with a few friends. A sad fact for many of today’s younger generation is staying safe means belonging to some type of gang. Paradoxically giving them a sense of security and belonging while thrusting them to very edge of harms way.
I don’t know about you but it seems just lately that everyone is trying to get their hands on your ‘old gold’, we are constantly being bombarded by adverts on the TV, radio and newspapers telling us that “Gold is at it’s highest price in years”, so go to your jewellery box and sell all your old gold for instant cash. The lure of instant cash will have people raking through their homes looking for that broken gold chain or old wedding ring, but for some no matter the lure they will be holding onto their precious possessions.
