As the number of financial scams continues to increase and the cons advance in sophistication and reach, you owe it to yourself to be scam-savvy, to avoid the pitfalls and protect yourself and your finances.

Five common scams have been identified by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) www.fscs.org.uk/news/fraud/top-5-financial-scams/

1. Boiler room schemes
2. Phishing scams and smishing scams (email and texting scams)
3. Pension liberation schemes
4. Homebuying fraud
5. Freebie scams

The FSCS provide ‘fight back’ advice for each scenario. In addition, the Financial Conduct Authority provide a warning list, where you can check the credibility of an investment or pension opportunity www.fca.org.uk/scamsmart/warning-list

If in doubt, please get in touch.