As the mad panic to find that elusive gift or must have toy takes hold, Cornwall Council’s Trading Standards is warning of scams and frauds this Christmas and have three wise messages to keep shoppers safe.

 Trading Standards is urging everyone to be on their guard against falling victim to one of the many scams or frauds designed to spoil the season of goodwill.

Cornwall Trading Standards offers three wise messages to help Cornwall’s consumers stay safe this Christmas:

• Always buy from reputable, trusted sources. Don’t be tempted to order from websites or street sellers that you have never dealt with before.

• Never deal with unsolicited telephone calls or unexpected doorstep salespeople – no matter how convincing they seem.

• Keep it real this Christmas – fakes and illegal copies will bring disappointment and potential danger into your home.

Cornwall Trading Standards Fair Trading team manager Nigel Strick said: “Con men and fraudsters know that we are all much more susceptible at this time of year.

"The phone call from a parcel delivery firm telling us that we have to pay a charge before they will deliver, the website that offers the toy that has sold out in all of the local shops, the fantastically low priced perfumes, computer games or DVDs……..everyone has the potential to be a scam that will steal our money and leave us with a disappointing gap under the Christmas tree.”

Cornwall Council cabinet member for communities Geoff Brown said: “This is supposed to be the season of happiness and joy but now, more than any other time of the year, we all need to take notice of the good advice from Cornwall Trading Standards so be extra careful and have a Happy Christmas.”