John Fitzsimons

Financial scams are big business in the UK. A report from Experian last year suggested that fraud could cost the UK economy as much as £193 billion a year – though these scams come in many shapes and sizes. Analysis from Which suggests there were around 264,000 reported cases of fraud last year. This, however, is likely to be just the tip of the iceberg. Barely a week goes by without reports of a new scam, whether it’s sudden demands to pay for the use of WhatsApp, suspicious emails supposedly from our bank, or fake ticket-selling websites. And, of course, these stories are accompanied by all sorts of advice on how to stay safe. However, the fact remains that the first line of defence against all financial scams is ourselves.

For a long time, the energy market has been dominated by six giants: British Gas, EDF, E.ON, npower, SSE and Scottish Power. According to the latest figures from regulator Ofgem, between them the so-called ‘big six’ have a market share of 85 per cent. The trouble is, they are often the most expensive. Recent years have seen a number of less well-known names emerging in the market, offering better customer service and better prices. So is it time to take the plunge and go with a small supplier? The big six premium Millions of people are languishing on their supplier’s standard tariff.