Times of distress and disruption are a magnet for scammers and, sadly, now is no different. Here in Suffolk both residents and businesses have been targeted by fraudsters in a variety of ways.

Trading Standards have seen emails that contain malware links and attachments, as well as those sending you to phishing sites, where the criminals attempt to steal your personal information. There have been reports of criminals knocking on doors and offering to go shopping for people who are self-isolating at home. Some purport to be from well-known charities such as The Red Cross, with others claiming to be from local community groups, including working on behalf of Suffolk County Council’s Home, But Not Alone. Other scams include online shopping scams involving sought-after items like face masks and hand sanitiser, with either no products being supplied or, worse still, products that don’t comply with safety standards. There are also reports of fake websites that imitate agencies including HMRC, offering false tax relief assistance.

You can join the fight against scams by:

Reporting scams to Suffolk Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133.

Following Trading Standard on Twitter, www.twitter.com/SuffolkTS,

and Facebook, www.facebook.com/SuffolkTradingStandards, to help share messages to your friends, family and followers. Signing up to receive a weekly email alert by going to www.suffolk.gov.uk/JoinTheFight