ISLE of Wight residents are being urged to remain vigilant in the face of a slew of new scams.

Asbestos and other roofing scams

Trading Standards are still receiving reports of phone calls from companies around home insulation.

The caller will tell you they will visit and check out your home insulation in the roof and then offer you a one time only deal for providing insulation.

Fraudsters will arrange to call and check your property for asbestos and will almost certainly “find” some, they will then overcharge you for the removal and disposal of the non-existent asbestos.

Do not engage with anyone who calls you out of the blue and remember any work that these companies are likely to do will be over priced and of a poor quality.

National Insurance scam

Another common phone scam at the moment appears to come from National Insurance stating that your NI number has been compromised or suspended – this is a scam, so hang up.

Census scam

A scam text regarding the Census has started doing the rounds. It says there appears to be incorrect information on your completed census form, and to avoid a £1,000 fine please click on the link provided – this is also a scam.

The Office for National Statistics states: “You will never be issued with a fine by text message, on social media or by email.

"Our Cyber Intelligence team is scouring the web for phishing sites and taking them down. If you find a site that looks suspicious or receive text messages with links to sites asking for money related to the census, do not engage with them.

"Report them to the Census 2021 Contact Centre by ringing 0800 141 2021”

How to report scams

Scam texts can be forwarded to 7726 and scam emails sent on to report@phishing.gov.uk where the information will be gathered and used for intelligence.