Advice Column 2007

Credit card fraud at TK Maxx

You may have heard about fraudulent use of TK Maxx customer's credit and debit card details.

If you've shopped at TK Maxx using your credit or debit card and are worried that this could affect you, call the TK Maxx freephone helpline on 0800 779015. There is also help and information available at the company's website at www.tjx.com.

Check your bank or credit card statements carefully and if you spot any transactions you weren't expecting, contact your bank or credit card company immediately. You won't have to pay for anything that was bought on your card without your knowledge. If the money has already left your account, ask your bank for a full refund.

For more information about what to do if you think someone has used your credit or debit card without your knowledge, see Frequently asked questions about credit and debt?.

Watch out for scams

Every day there are new schemes set up to con you out of money. These are normally known as scams. Some of the most common scams to look out for include:

• bogus holiday clubs
• prize draw and sweepstake scams
• miracle health and slimming cure scams
• clairvoyant mailings
• fake foreign lotteries

It is important to recognise a scam and to know what to do if you've lost money.

Office of Fair Trading (OFT), a government body which works to stop scams, is currently sending mock scam letters to 20,000 households in the Midlands, southeast England, northeast England and Wales. The letters are designed to look like real scams, but there is an OFT warning on the back telling you there is no actual prize. The aim is to help you become more familiar with the language and tactics scam artists use to persuade you to part with your money.

For more information about different type of scams, go to www.oft.gov.uk.

Refund of voluntary National Insurance contributions - In England

If you've paid voluntary National Insurance (NI) contributions since 25 May 2006 and you're due to reach state retirement age on or after 6 April 2010, you may be entitled to a refund.

You may have paid these NI contributions to make up a gap in your contributions record so you can get a full State Retirement Pension. However, the government is about to reduce the number of years you need to have paid NI contributions in order to get a full State Retirement Pension. From 6 April 2010, they're intending to reduce the number of years you have to pay NI contributions from 44 if you are a man and 39 if you are a woman to 30 for both men and women.

Therefore, if you'd already have 30 years' worth of NI contributions by April 2010, you wouldn't need to have paid extra voluntary contributions.

The refund is only payable for voluntary contributions, not for any other contributions.

For more information about who can get a refund, go to the Government News Network website at www.gnn.gov.uk.

For more information insurance and contributions, see National insurance – contributions and benefits.

Money for your child’s future

If your child is born after 1 September 2002, and you get Child Benefit for your child, you'll be sent a Child Trust Fund voucher when you start getting Child Benefit. When you get this voucher, make sure you open a special bank or building society account with it, so that the government can start paying money into your child's account.

The government will make an initial payment of £250 and another payment of £250 when your child is 7 years old. If your family is on a low income, your child will get twice that amount paid into their Child Trust Fund account. Friends and family can also pay up to £1,200 a year into the account and you won't have to pay any tax on those savings. Your child will be able to use the money once they turn 18.

For more information about Child Trust Fund, including how to open an account, go to www.childtrustfund.gov.uk. This week, it is Child Trust Fund Week and there will be extra top tips on this site from experts and celebrities about smarter ways to save for your child's future.

If you haven't received the Child Trust Fund voucher or you are not sure if you're entitled to Child Benefit, go to Benefits for families and children (Adviceguide).