One of the most common types of investment scam is where the fraudster pretends to represent a reputable company, offering a great investment opportunity. In this particularly upsetting case, the fraudsters pretended to be Credit Suisse; but with the help of a journalist the customer managed to get their money back.

HMRC responded to more than 846,000 referrals of suspicious HMRC contact last year. Almost 500,000 of the referrals were fraudsters offering fake tax rebates.

Claims management companies (CMCs) handle a range of claims on behalf of customers. Things CMCs help with include personal injury claims, employment matters and lots of issues related to financial services – most notably PPI reclaims. What is known about CMCs?

Like any form of fraud, social engineering can be used to elicit money from people. But what is it?