Bogus callers: Last Thursday (24th October) a Stowmarket resident was approached at the door by an individual claiming to be from Mid Suffolk District Council. They advised that work was needed on the solar panels on the roof and advised that a contribution of £200 in cash was required. Fortunately, the resident felt the information was false and refused to pay and closed the door. Were you approached? Did you see any vehicle they were travelling in? If you have any information, please contact us via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133. Public service employees are required to show identity cards when they come to your home. Examine the card carefully as fake cards have been used. The card should have a photograph and the name of the organisation. If you are at all worried, ring the organisation to check the caller is genuine. Use the telephone number given in the phone book or on your utility bill, rather than the one printed on the identity card. A genuine worker won't mind waiting.
Scam text: The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) have reported a scam SMS text message relating to the Household Support Fund. The message advised that the resident was eligible for £900 from the Household Support Fund if they clicked on a link, pay £1 and give their bank details for monies to be paid. If you receive this message, please report it by forwarding the message to 7726. Details of Household Support Fund for Suffolk can be seen at: www.suffolk.gov.uk/community-and-safety/communities/healthier/cost-of-living-support/household-support-fund
WhatsApp: We are continuing to see victims targeted on WhatsApp by criminals pretending to be someone they know – typically their children. Criminals will usually begin the conversation with “Hello Mum” or “Hello Dad” and will say that they are texting from a new mobile number as their phone was lost or damaged. They will then ask for money to purchase a new one, or claim that they need money urgently to pay a bill. The criminal will provide bank details for the payment to be made to, with some coming back with further demands for money. If you receive a message like this from a friend or family member, don’t send any money until you’ve had a chance to call them and confirm their identity. Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
How to protect yourself:
STOP. THINK. CALL. If a family member or friend makes an unusual request on WhatsApp, always call the person to confirm their identity.
You can report spam messages or block a sender within WhatsApp. Press and hold on the message bubble, select ‘Report’ and then follow the instructions. Forward scam text messages for free to 7726. Your provider can investigate the text and take action if found to be fraudulent. Never share your account’s activation code (that’s the 6-digit code you receive via SMS).
Halloween: But you must remember to stay safe and ensure you are buying good quality toys, costumes and make-up. Make sure you check labels for warnings, instructions and age suitability before purchasing a product. Products must have a UKCA or CE mark which means the product complies with the required safety standards. Take extra care if buying your Halloween outfits online - try to buy from well-known and trusted retailers. For any products using button battery cells, ensure the battery compartments are not directly accessible – the cell batteries should be either secured with a screw or require two independent actions to open them. Button cells have been involved in serious injuries and fatalities involving children. For any toys containing strong magnets, check to make sure that they are of a size that cannot be swallowed by a child. Like button cells, strong magnets have been involved in serious injuries and fatalities involving children. Take extra care when choosing Halloween make-up for children. The cosmetics you use must be labelled with the ingredients, manufacturer contact details, a durability, a batch number and the weight or volume. If you have any concerns about the safety of a product, stop using it immediately and report it to us via 0808 223 1133.
Pumpkins: We hope you are having fun carving pumpkins ready for Halloween! But please remember that pumpkins can only be fed to livestock if they have NEVER entered a kitchen and the carving utensils have never been in contact with products of animal origin such as meat and dairy. This is to help prevent diseases like African Swine Fever. The term 'livestock' includes livestock species kept as pets such as pigs, sheep and cattle. The ban on feeding kitchen waste to livestock was introduced after the devastation of foot and mouth disease - the most likely cause of the 2001 outbreak was catering waste being fed to Pigs.
You CAN feed:
- Fruit and vegetables that have never entered a kitchen and which have not come into contact with products of animal origin. The utensils used for cutting up the fruit and vegetables must also never have come into contact with products of animal origin.
- Specially formulated animal feed, which is a safe and easy way to give your animals a balanced diet.
It is ILLEGAL to feed:
- Food scraps and catering waste from any restaurant or commercial kitchen.
- Domestic kitchen waste, including food from a vegetarian or vegan kitchen.
Following these practices is vital to prevent the spread of notifiable animal diseases such as African swine fever, which you can read more about here: https://www.gov.uk/guidance/african-swine-fever
Vapes: Vapes are in the news again with an announcement that the Government will ban the sale of disposable vapes from June next year. Increasingly we are receiving reports of retailers selling vapes to underage children, who are often enticed by the colourful packaging and sweet flavours used by some vaping manufacturers. The legal age to buy vapes or e-cigarettes containing nicotine in the UK is 18 years old. It has been illegal to sell e-cigarettes or vape liquid containing nicotine to anyone under 18 since 2015. When used properly, vapes and e-cigarettes can be a successful way of helping people to stop smoking. But criminals are capitalising on this, leading to a rise in illegal vapes, which can contain high levels of nicotine, contaminants, or banned ingredients such as taurine or caffeine. Both locally and nationally we are seeing a rise in potentially unsafe and non-compliant vape products. Consumers can protect themselves by looking out for the following to ensure the vape that they are purchasing is legal:
- The tank of a vape is a maximum size of 2ml, and the largest nicotine containing refill bottle is 10ml in size or less
- All liquids should come in childproof bottles displaying nicotine warnings and have an accompanying safety leaflet
- Vapes should have a nicotine strength of no more than 20mg/ml or 2%
Anyone who suspects that a shop is selling unsafe e-cigarettes and vaping liquids or making sales of age-restricted products to children can report this in confidence to Trading Standards via the Citizens Advice Consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.
E-bikes: Following the announcement from eBay that they will ban private sellers from selling e-bikes and e-bike batteries in the UK from 31 October, we want to take this opportunity to remind you of the steps you should take when purchasing, using or charging your e-bike or e-scooter to reduce fire risks. E-bikes and e-scooters use large lithium-ion batteries which can present a risk of serious fire or explosion in certain circumstances. While these can be used safely, there have been a number of fire incidents involving lithium-ion batteries in e-bikes and e-scooters, including in conversion kits.
Follow these five steps when purchasing, using or charging your e-bike or e-scooter to reduce fire risks:
RESEARCH – only BUY an e-bike, e-scooter, charger or battery from a known seller and check any product reviews
READ – always READ and FOLLOW the manufacturer’s instructions for charging and using e-bikes or e-scooters
CHECK – not all e-bike or e-scooter batteries and chargers are compatible or safe when used together. Check and only USE the manufacturer’s recommended battery or charger
CHARGE – always charge in a safe place without blocking exits and always UNPLUG your charger when you have finished charging
NEVER – attempt to modify or tamper with your battery
If you are concerned about the safety of a product you have purchased, stop using it immediately, and report it to Trading Standards via Citizens Advice Consumer Service on 0808 223 1133. eBay have announced that only "eligible business sellers" will be allowed to list them after 31st October 2024. This policy change is in addition to the CE audits of listings offering e-bike batteries that eBay started last year, where they check that the products sellers are offering have valid CE documentation.
Product Recall for Avionaut Dock 2 Isofix Children's Car Seat Bases. The product presents a risk of injuries as seats within the affected batches could detach from the base unexpectedly.
Brand: Avionaut
Affected Model/Product Code: 04527 AV-169
Barcode (EAN): 5907603464107
Affected Batches: 1929/24, 5711/24, 6745/24, 8234/24 - The batch number can be found at the bottom of the base or on transport packaging.
Sales Period: 24th April 2024 to 26th June 2024. The safety risk only applies to products purchased within this sales period.
The affected products present a risk of injuries due to an installation error that could potentially result in the seat dislodging from the base. Should the seat detach from the base whilst in use or during a car accident, there is an increased risk that the user could sustain injuries. The affected seats will be collected, analysed and returned to the owner by Avionaut. Consumers are advised to check their Dock 2 model and batch number and contact Avionaut for service action should their base be included. Avionaut can be contacted via email on service@avionaut.com