8th Oct 2013
The American government shutting down sounds a lot scarier than the actual reality. No, I promise we’re not living in some post-apocalyptic society across the pond. Washington, D.C. isn’t vacant and if you go visit our embassy in Grosvenor Square everything’s operating normally. Visas and passports are still being processed (but at a much slower…
27th Jul 2013
Volunteering while getting away from your regular day-to-day routine can be a great way to see the world while doing something positive such as benefiting deprived communities or helping the planet. Working might not be everyone’s idea of a relaxing holiday but there are plenty of choices about the type of volunteering one can do,…
2nd Jul 2013
Last Updated: 2/7/2013 If you’ve got a credit card debt that you just can’t pay off, sometimes a low lifetime balance transfer is the best and cheapest option. It’s also the easiest because you don’t have to keep remembering to switch your balance each time you get to the end of a 0% period.
7th Jun 2013
I’m a big fan of Freecycle but, like so many good online sites, it’s a mecca for fraudsters. I’ve just had notice from the Freecycle moderators that two new freecycle scams are doing the rounds on the site. Here they are – as always, remember if an offer sounds too good to be true, it…
23rd May 2013
Going on holiday has just got a whole lot more expensive thanks to a recent rise in Air Passenger Duty (APD). The latest blow to household budgets will see hundreds of pounds added to family travel costs. APD increased by 2.5% from 1 April 2013, making a 6% rise since 2001. A survey shows that 81% of…
13th May 2013
Everyone wants cheap currency right? Right now the pound is pretty strong against the euro, which means you get more money for your sterling! This makes it a great time to stock up on holiday euros, but getting the cheapest foreign currency possible is still a must. Don’t be fooled by high-street claims of ‘commission-free’…
22nd Oct 2012
Phone scams can often be difficult to recognise. They can range from anonymous text messages and ghost calls to cheap ringtone promotions and insurance deals. Below is a list of 10 common phone scams with advice on how to avoid them and how to report suspicious calls or text messages. Top 10 phone scams How…
12th Oct 2012
I was on BBC Breakfast News yesterday commenting on a company that had been fined a record £800,000 by Phonepayplus – the premium rate phone regulator – for misleading advertising and getting customers to rack-up obscene phone bills with their competition lines. They took action against the premium rate line competitions run by Churchcastle Ltd,…
12th Oct 2012
Updated: 5/01/2012 In an ideal world all of us want to be able to give money to charity, but when times are tight it’s not always possible. But what if you could help out a worthwhile cause as you spend, no matter what you’re buying, and with no extra effort? That’s what charity credit cards…
8th Oct 2012
Yes, sort-of. The IRRITATING issue of spam texts being sent to you from nasty PPI companies allegedly Twitter or Facebook telling you how to change your password dodgy debt management companies or any other fraudulent type annoying you with pretend texts have been something we’ve had to put up with for too long now. Even…
29th Aug 2012
August 2012 – There’s only a week or so to go before millions of UK travellers who applied for a free two-year permit to travel to the US have to renew it…at a cost! I found this out to my cost back in May when I travelled to the States, thinking that my ESTA visa (the…
25th Jul 2012
The latest Fraudscape Bulletin from fraud prevention group CIFAS reports that illegal activity is on the rise. 130,706 confirmed frauds were reported in the first six months of 2012, with half of these taking place online. The report states that 65% of all frauds now relate to identity details such as dates of birth, postcodes,…
