Scams: six of the most common tricks – and how to avoid them

Criminals impersonate relatives and ask for money to be transferred to them in the ‘hi mum’ scam. Photograph: Katherine Anne Rose/The Observer

Fake retailer websites

Where there’s a news story, there’s a fraud, and in August it was headlines saying that Wilko had gone into administration and was expected to shut stores that gave criminals an opportunity. Just days after the retailer collapsed, there were at least 10 websites claiming to offer discounted Wilko goods, many of which had been designed to look official.