Rogue traders are taking advantage of the economic climate to exploit consumers' attempts to make money or find a job, a charity had said.

Citizens Advice has reported an "unprecedented boom" in scams that target people's wish for homes and jobs.
Tricks include charging upfront fees for employment that does not exist.

Meanwhile, the government has confirmed plans to change the landscape of consumer protection.

Prevention

Scams cost the UK billions of pounds, but a recent report suggested the system to tackle them was fragmented.
The National Audit Office (NAO) also said that trading standards departments, which are facing cuts in funding, were underequipped to tackle con-artists operating across the UK. Gillian Guy, chief executive of Citizens Advice, said that the authorities were unable to keep pace with new scams and take action in every......Link To more of this story: BBC News - Financial climate says Citizens Advice