The public are being made aware of the dangers surrounding fraud.

Citizens Advice Allerdale provide free, impartial advice and support on a range of issues from housing and council tax to relationships.

And the charity is advising the public that con artists may look to trick them into handing over sensitive information or making a payment.

Free advice, with links to Government support is available at: https://www.citizensadvice.org.uk/consumer/scams/check-if-something-might-be-a-scam/

Citizens Advice Allerdale warn that a cold call or offer online might be a scam if it seems too good to be true, if you suspect you are not dealing with a real company and if you’ve been asked to give away personal information like passwords or pins numbers.

They added: “Paying more for something than you think it’s worth isn’t the same as being scammed. Usually, a scam will involve theft or fraud”