This advice is taken from details of a talk given to the Banbury Rotary Club.   It includes a lot of useful infomation on how to deal or avoid with scams and rogue traders and so we repeat it here.

On 23^rd January 2026 Banbury Rotary Club was presented a talk by  Sonia Robinson from Trading Standards entitled  “Scams and Rogue Traders”.

The Banbury Rotary Club seeks to help the local community so if you have a bit of time and energy  and are willing to “roll-up-your-sleeves and help-out”  why not visit their website or chat with a Rotary member.

Types of Scams

• Phishing (email scams)
• Smishing (text/SMS scams)
• Vishing (phone call scams)
• Fake invoices & payment requests
• Account takeover / password reset scams
• Prize, lottery & giveaway scams
• Romance & social engineering scams
• Job & business opportunity scams
• Tech support scams
• Impersonation scams

We were provided with examples of some of these and offered advice on how to deal with them.

How to report a scam

Email: forward phishing emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.

Text: report scam texts to 7726.

Websites: report to the National Cyber Security Centre https://www.ncsc.gov.uk/section/about-this-website/report-scam-website

Phone call: report suspicious phone calls to Action Fraud www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040. Register on Telephone Preference Service by calling 0345 070 0707.

Banking Details: If you think you have shared your banking details contact your bank immediately by calling 159, the operator will transfer you directly to your bank – and report to Action Fraud www.actionfraud.police.uk or call 0300 123 2040.

How to deal with Rogue Traders

Sonia also set out the challenges of rogue traders

Finding reliable traders:  Oxfordshire Trading standards can provide details of reliable traders for your house and garden needs – Phone 01865 519 800 or visit buywithconfidence.gov.uk

Concern that  others are being targeted:  If you are worried someone you know is being targeted you can phone  Citizen’s Advice -0808223 1133  or email communityengagement@oxfordshire.gov.uk.

Doorstep crime: To report suspicious activity or if in immediate danger call 999. Or report using https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/reporting-a-scam/ or phone 0808 223 1133.