Money Box

Criminals are targeting victims more effectively and exploiting banking apps on phones to steal thousands of pounds. That's the warning from one of the UK's most senior fraud officers, Detective Superintendent John Roch, who runs the Economic Crime Unit for London's Metropolitan Police. He's been speaking exclusively to Money Box - and you can hear that interview in full.The Financial Conduct Authority has told this programme it has been speaking to Scottish Widows about concerns over the company's poor customer service. For the past year Money Box has been investigating complaints about the insurance and pensions firm. Customers have been contacting us to say they have faced lengthy delays when they have tried to get hold of their money. We'll hear from some of those listeners and get a response from Scottish Widows which says its overall service levels are getting back to normal as it continues to work hard behind the scenes. It says it has significantly increased the number of colleagues answering calls and dealing with customer requests.Long-awaited plans to shake up the private rented sector in England were finally released this week. The Renters’ Reform Bill includes some very significant changes, including abolishing section 21 or so-called "no-fault" evictions and preventing landlords from banning tenants who claim benefits or have children. We'll discuss what this means for renters' rights.And war widows who were forced to forfeit their pensions will receive a lump sum payment after a long running campaign. How will it work and who's eligible?Presenter: Felicity Hannah Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 20th May 2023)

The UK is the fraud capital of the world with hundreds of thousands of victims and billions of pounds stolen every year. Every minute of 2022, thieves stole £2300 from bank and credit card accounts. They took a total of 1.2 billion from nearly 3 million people. In this podcast, we discuss these figures by the banking trade body, UK Finance, and we speak to victims of fraud about the impact it’s had on them and the steps you can take to protect yourself.On the panel are experts Kathryn Westmore, Senior Research Fellow at the Centre of Financial Crime and Security at RUSI, and Andy Donald, Director of Communications at UK Finance.We'll also hear from an ex-fraudster about how criminals manipulate their victims intro transferring thousands of pounds.Presenter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Amber Mehmood Reporter: Sarah Rogers Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast, 3pm Wednesday 17th May, 2023)

The banking trade body UK Finance says that every minute of 2022 thieves stole £2,300 from bank and credit card accounts. In total they took £1.2 billion from nearly 3 million people. These figures were released this week in its Annual Fraud Report. We'll discuss the figures and get reaction from Arun Chauhan, a solicitor at Tenet Law, who specialises in fraud and financial crime.There were new warnings about inflation this week. The Bank of England said that headline rate would soon fall, though not quite so much as it had predicted earlier this year. The Chief Economist at the Office for National Statistics answers your questions and talks about the new ONS comparison tool where you can check prices. As HMRC stops sending paper tax returns out to under 70s – what does this mean for the 3 million over 55s who don’t have a digital presence?And how to make sure you get a new Cost of Living payment if you're entitled to it.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Eimear Devlin and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12pm, Saturday 13th May 2023)

The Bank of England is expected to hike interest rates for the 12th month in a row this week and deposit-free mortgages are back after a 15-year-long absence from the market that stretches back to the financial crisis. We find out how they’ll really work, who can benefit from them and what interest rates mean for you whether you’re a renter, homeowner or prospective new buyer. The experts in this podcast are, Nick Mendes, Mortgage Technical Manager at John Charcol, Charles Roe, Director of Mortgages at UK Finance and Rachel Springall, Finance Expert at Money Facts.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 10th May, 2023)

To mark the Coronation of King Charles III our presenter Adam Shaw gets exclusive access to the Royal Mint to witness how new £2 commemorative coins are produced and to see its extensive archives. In this programme, we discuss how different monarchs have affected our money and what the future might hold for the physical cash that we carry in our pockets. To help explore the Crown and our currency, Adam is joined be a panel of experts, Dominic Chorney, an Ancient Coin Specialist at Baldwin's, Catherine Schenk, Professor of Economic and Social History at the University of Oxford and Jennifer Adam, Curator at the Bank of England Museum. Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood Researcher: Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 3pm, Wednesday 3rd May, 2023)

The prospects for many current employees hoping for a comfortable retirement looks "risky at best". That's the warning from the Institute for Fiscal Studies, which has started a major review of pensions together with Financial Fairness Trust, a charity funded by the investment firm Abrdn. We'll speak to the IFS and answer your questions on pensions.The listener who had to remortgage but was turned down because he had a Ukrainian family living in part of his home. Are you going to Europe this summer? If so, have you got your GHIC card which can give you cheap or free medical care in some countries? We'll explain how it works.And next Saturday is the Coronation of Charles III. He and his wife, Camilla will be crowned King and Queen of the United Kingdom and 14 other Commonwealth countries. It is nearly 70 years since the last coronation in June 1953 when Charles's mother was crowned Queen Elizabeth II but what has changed in our personal finance since then? Paul Lewis speaks to Dr. Duncan Needham, Director of the Centre of Financial History at Cambridge University.Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner Editor: Justin Bones(First broadcast, 12noon Saturday 29th April, 2023)

Small businesses represent as much as 99% of UK companies, according to government figures. They employ about half of the workforce and often contribute a vital service to local communities. The small business sector has been facing significant challenges - higher inflation, more expensive business loans and uncertain markets. In this podcast, we look at both the challenges and the opportunities for small businesses. The experts on the panel are:Charlotte Thomason, Head of Policy and Government Relations at Enterprise Nation, an organisation which helps advise small businesses on how to set-up and grow. Andy Chamberlain, Director of Policy at IPSE - The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed. Adnan Sajjad, an accountant specialising in helping small businesses.Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Amber Mehmood Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Beatrice Pickup

This week, the Office for National Statistics employment data showed that one reason behind the increase in the number of people in work is the growth in self-employment. Though the total numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, more people are now starting a new business. We'll hear from four entrepreneurs about their experiences and have some advice for anyone thinking about doing so. Money Box has learned more than 1,100 people have reported having had a total of £1.3m stolen from them in the last year by criminals using so called "hi mum" or "hi dad" scam messages. The figures from Action Fraud peaked in the run up to Christmas but the scam is still very active with hundreds of thousands of pounds being stolen in the first three months of this year alone. What should you look out for?We often talk about the cost of living and the effect of rising inflation on lower income households, but this week there is new evidence of how it is hitting people earning between £40,000 and £80,000. We'll hear from Royal London whose research found over a third of people had gone overdrawn or borrowed in other ways - some even taking out expensive payday loans.And a new report suggests tens of millions of pounds belonging to about 80,000 young people without mental capacity to make financial decisions could be locked in trust funds. What does that mean for families and what is the government's response?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researchers: Sandra Hardial and Jo Krasner Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast 12noon Saturday 22nd April, 2023)

Raising children is expensive. It’s estimated that it costs over £200,000 to raise a child from birth to 18 in the UK. In this podcast we hear from parents about how they're managing these costs from new-born baby necessities to nursery fees.The experts on the panel are, Anna Stevenson, Senior Welfare Benefits Specialist at the Charity Turn2Us, and Tara Spence, the CEO of Homestart Suffolk, a community network of trained volunteers that helps families with young children. Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Amber Mehmood Researcher: Catherine Lund Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast, 3pm Wednesday 19th April, 2023)

It's estimated that more than 200 thousand low income parents --in England, Wales and Northern Ireland -- are missing out on government assistance to help them buy food for their children. The Healthy Start Scheme offers money for milk, fruit and vegetables - but uptake is well below the government's target. In response Department of Health says uptake is increasing and it's committed to promoting a healthy diet for children.The high-cost lender Amigo has said it will halt all lending and wind down its business after failing to raise extra funds from investors. What does this mean for thousands of who’ve applied for compensation believing they were mis-sold loans?State benefits and pensions paid to tens of millions of people went up this week by 10.1% - almost the current rate of inflation. When can you expect your increased payment?And what you should do to protect your digital memories after you’ve died?Presenter: Paul Lewis Reporter: Sarah Rogers Researcher: Sandra Hardial Editor: Jess Quayle(First broadcast, 12pm Saturday 15th April, 2023)