There are a great many scams, and judging by the fact that millions of people fall victim to one it's probably fair to say there's a scam for everyone. Although different scams use different 'tactics' they do usually share at least some characteristics.

Consumer Direct advises to ask yourself the following questions when you receive an offer that sounds to good to be true:

• Do I have to respond 'at once' (if so, what's the rush?)
• Do I have to make a purchase to win a prize?
• Do I have to ring a premium rate telephone number?
• Do I have to give my bank or credit card details?
• Does the company only have a PO Box number?
• Am I asked to keep it confidential?

If you've answered 'yes' to any of the above questions you are almost certainly dealing with a scam. Contact Consumer Direct on 08454 04 05 06 for advice and/or to report the scam.

Scambusters

General advice on how to avoid scams can be found in Scambuster's Your Guide to Beating the Scammers (PDF). The information is written by the Office of Fair Trading and includes tips for cutting back on junk mail and other forms of unsolicited marketing as well. Paper copies of the leaflet can be obtained for free by contacting the OFT on 0800 389 3158 (quote product code OFT831).

The OFT website of the also contains a section on scams.