Stop spam and spot scams

Find out how to stop spam, spot scams, detect identity theft, check your benefits entitlement, and find missing pensions.

There are a few quick, simple things we can do to ensure that we don't give money to people we shouldn't and that we're getting all the money we're supposed to.

I'm looking today at various resources to keep your finances tidy and other people's hands out of your pockets, including a new website to reduce cold calls and junk mail.

It's time to tidy up a few loose ends.

Stop spam

The watchdog Consumer Focus has just opened up a new, free website called StayPrivate.org to make it easier to sign up to various services that reduce direct marketing, namely the Telephone Preference Service, the Mail Preference Service and the Baby Mail Preference Service.

When you sign up, you should get a reduction in junk mail and cold calls. Each of these services are already available separately online, but now you don't have to fill in different forms to sign up.

Remember to update your details when you move or change telephone numbers.

Spot scams

A message on the StayPrivate website leads nicely to the next section:

“We have recently been made aware of a company claiming to be BT, affiliated with StayPrivate.org or the Direct Marketing Association's TPS Service. This company is asking for a registration fee to stop unwanted calls. This is a scam. Both StayPrivate.org and the Direct Marketing Association's services are free to use and you should never have to pay for them. Additionally, you should never give out your credit card details in an unsolicited phone call.”

If you're contacted out of the blue and asked for a payment or some personal details, don't submit. If you want to check up on a possible scam you could glance down the list of recent scams in this scams forum. Alternatively you can ask the opinion of our knowledgeable readers through the Q&A tool. Finally, get better prepared for scams by reading the scams checklist at the bottom of this seasonal article and ten tips from you readers in this piece.

Check your debt report

To get an idea how easy it is for you to run up debts (OK, to take out credit) you need to buy a credit report to see what information lenders can see about you and your financial history. You can correct any errors, take steps to improve your standing, and see if there's anything fishy, which would indicate someone else has been using your identity.

Some of these agencies don't just give you a report of your finances but tell you your credit score. This is just an estimate, because each lender has its own scoring system. You can learn how to interpret and improve your rating yourself by reading How to improve your credit rating.

There are three credit reference agencies and the vast majority of financial institutions share their data with all of them on the same date. The reports cost £2 each and these links go directly to the statutory report pages: CallCredit, Equifax, Experian.

Each of these services offer year-long access to your reports. I think you need a good reason to justify paying the monthly subscription fee, but they each offer a 30-day free trial, such as this one from Experian. Read the small print though, and remember to cancel on time if you decide not to keep it. I'm sure they make a fair bit of extra cash from people who forget.

Check your benefits

There are dozens of different types of benefits and tax credits. Before I go into how you can check what you're entitled to, those of you who already receive tax credits should know that they must re-register by 31 July or your payments will stop. This page on the Revenue and Customs website has the details.

Check what benefits and grants you're entitled to using the Turn2Us benefits checker. You can fill in the gaps and get more information on benefits and tax credits from a surprisingly clearly written government website: click on the Money, tax and benefits page of the Direct.gov.uk website.

Find lost pensions and other assets

There are several ways that you can go about finding your lost pensions. To start with, you can try the Pension Tracing Service, which is free. For a £25 fee you can search the Unclaimed Assets Register, which also has details of other financial assets like National Savings and shares.

Finally, you can do some digging yourself. Here are some tips on where to start.

More from lovemoney.com

Tidy up your finances with online banking, which helps you track all your online accounts and manage your cashflow, and see how you're really spending your money.