The Metropolitan Police has intercepted a bulk delivery of scam mail. Royal Mail and Spring Global Mail, who have in the past been criticised for facilitating scams, helped with operation.

A Private Members' Bill aimed at giving postal operators the power to intercept scam mail has passed its first reading. Due to lack of parliamentary time the Consumer Protection (Postal Marketing) Bill stands little change of becoming law.

The Office of Fair Trading has once again declared February 'Scam Awareness Month'. Although the budget for the campaign has been reduced it will once again run for a full month.

A scam artist who sent 136,000 misleading letters on behalf of UK Incentives & Promotions Ltd has been given a 12-month order not to send further scam letters.

The Office of Fair Trading has set up two spoof websites to show the methods used by scammers to rip-off consumers. The products advertised on the sites are 'FatFoe' and 'Glucobate'.

The Office of Fair Trading will once again ask the public to fight back against scammers in the month of February. However, it has reduced 'Scam Awareness Month' to a fortnight.

Falkirk Council has warned residents to be aware the area has become a focus for fraudsters in recent weeks. Both householders and businesses are being targeted.

The biggest overhaul of consumer protection laws in 40 years has come into force today. The Consumer Protection Regulations bans 31 types of unfair sales practices outright and close loopholes that rogue traders have so far been able to exploit.

The Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform is planning to introduce new regulations to clamp down on unfair sales and marketing practices.

The Office of Fair Trading has obtained assurances from a South African marketing agency that it will no longer send misleading mailings to UK consumers.