News Room
Welcome to CTSI's News Room. Browse through our latest Consumer Protection and Trading Standards news reports (below), or take a look through our archive of news articles from previous years.
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Whirlpool initiates recall for 21 further washing machine
Posted: 30/04/2020
Whirlpool has announced the recall of a further 21 washing machine models among its Hotpoint brand range.
Coronavirus crisis: New guide for travel industry launched
Posted: 29/04/2020
Business Companion has launched a free online guide for travel industry businesses caught amidst the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
Codes scheme now protects almost £135bn of consumer transactions
Posted: 28/04/2020
In what was an excellent year for the scheme, business members increased to 68,809 from 52,003 in 2018, representing a 32% year-on-year membership growth.
Coronavirus rogues darken doorsteps nationwide
Posted: 27/04/2020
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic has led to an explosion of scams online, on the phone and the doorstep.
Over the past six weeks, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has received numerous reports of opportunists darkening the doorsteps of vulnerable people throughout the country.
UK ECC reports a surge in airline flight cancellation advice
Posted: 24/04/2020
The UK European Consumer Centre (UK ECC) has received a record number of enquiries in the last 48 hours with over 1000 consumers seeking its expertise and advice in relation to airline flight cancellations. This the biggest influx of consumer enquiries since the 2010 Icelandic volcanic ash cloud chaos.
Outbreak of scams during coronavirus pandemic
Posted: 20/04/2020
Since early March, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has witnessed an avalanche of scams drop on UK consumers. These scams cover the full gamut of delivery methods, from doorstep to the telephone, to social media, text and email, and all themed around the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
HMRC COVID-19 scam expands to all types of communication
Posted: 17/04/2020
In March, the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) warned about a new HMRC-branded scam text claiming that the government are offering lump-sum payments "as part of its promise to battle COVID-19.
Recently, this scam theme has expanded from text and emails to telephone calls from bogus civil servants.
Netflix scam takes advantage of COVID-19 lockdown
Posted: 17/04/2020
The COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic lockdown has led to a surge in viewership of online video streaming services.
New advice launched to combat COVID-19-related food waste
Posted: 16/04/2020
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) is assisting with the release of advice created jointly by the Food Standards Agency (FSA), Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) to consumers and businesses on how to reduce it.
Holidaymakers affected by COVID-19 cancellations may get redress
Posted: 09/04/2020
Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic, many hotel and travel businesses have refused to refund holidaymakers, with some left out of pocket for large sums.
Coronavirus quiz data harvesting spreads through social media
Posted: 09/04/2020
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has received intelligence about a series of 'COVID-19 Quizzes' spreading on social media. The quizzes claim to test public knowledge about the coronavirus pandemic; however, most of the questions are unrelated to it.
Public warned about new coronavirus charity cons
Posted: 08/04/2020
The Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) has received intelligence on a series of new doorstep scams themed around the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.