Shoppers in Cornwall warned about Christmas scams

Officers say that, if the deal seems too good to be true, it often is

Trading Standards officers have warned Christmas shoppers in Cornwall to be aware of the most common scams.

The county's Trading Standards team said that, if something looked too good to be true, "it probably is".

It said some of the most common scams included fake delivery emails or texts, copycat websites or poor quality goods.

People who thought they had been caught out by such scams should contact their bank or card provider straight away, the team said.

Personal details

Councillor Martyn Alvey, Cornwall Council's portfolio holder with responsibility for trading standards, said households were likely to be facing financial pressure at this time of year and scammers were "seizing the opportunity to exploit shoppers".

Scams included delivery notifications, where officers said people received messages claiming a courier is unable to deliver a parcel and people are prompted to click a link and pay for a redelivery fee.

Trading Standards said the scam was designed to capture personal details, which could be sold on.

Other scams included fake websites that mirrored genuine retailers' sites, which, in many cases, items were not delivered and left consumers with a false sense that the business was legitimate.

Other scams included fake websites that mirrored genuine retailers' sites.

Items purchased from the sites, which left consumers with a false sense that the business was legitimate, were in many cases not delivered.

"If you think you've been caught out by any of these kinds of scams, it is important to contact your bank or credit card provider straight away," Mr Alvey said.

"Many banks, building societies and payment providers now offer fraud protection and may be able to refund your money."

Mr Alvey added banks would also be able to monitor accounts for any suspicious activity.

He also warned of "claims of massive price reductions", where retailers would sometimes increase prices for popular goods in the period leading up to the sales, "only to reduce them once Black Friday or Cyber Monday comes around".