Money Box

Buying a home is likely to be the biggest investment of our lives and it’s no wonder that people want to spend money improving it. During lock down, many more of us have been laying our own patios, fixing shelves or employing builders to create the extension that we’ve always dreamt about. Adam Shaw , expert guests and listeners discuss the finances of home improvements. How to negotiating with builders, how much to set aside for contingencies, what to do if you feel the job is not up to standard and how to get your money back if you are not satisfied.We hear the experiences of first time buyer Frances, builder Tomas and DIY shop owner Louis alongside experts Brian Berry, the CEO of the Master Builders Federation. Chloe McCulloch, the Editor of publication & website, Building and Martyn James from the independent, free, issue resolution service, Resolver.Email moneybox@bbc.co.uk to share an experience or with a question for the panel.Producer Smita Patel Editor Emma Rippon

A 26-year-old believes his drink was spiked on a night out and his finger print used to unlock his smart phone allowing thieves to steal £18,000 from his bank accounts. A leading anti-fraud campaigner warns that criminals appear to be adopting the "sinister" tactic of spiking drinks to get money. The Government is asking Parliament to pass a retrospective law which would make it easier to collect tax from higher income people who claim child benefit. The Finance Bill measures stand to override a legal ruling which allowed some households, where someone has income over £50,000, to keep the High Income Child Benefit Charge which they should have paid. Courts had decided that HMRC should not have used discovery assessments, which allow it to reopen closed tax periods and issue bills for previous years, to recover it.Some people on low incomes may find it harder to receive tax credits and other benefits after the way the money is paid changes next year. It's part of a wider government push to get all entitlements paid into bank accounts but debt experts warn that some vulnerable people may not meet the criteria for a bank account.This week Zog Energy became the 25th supplier to collapse. If yours has ceased trading with your account in credit how do you get a refund?Reporter: Dan Whitworth Producer: Charmaine Cozier Researcher: Drew Miller Hyndman Editor: Emma Rippon

Restricting access to money, bank accounts and the right to earn an income are a few of the many and varied forms of financial abuse, often accompanied by other types of domestic violence.Sadly it’s estimated that one in six people in the UK are dealing with this deeply distressing method of coercive control. In this episode Felicity Hannah hears from some of those affected and about the organisations ready to help including:Dr Nicola Sharp-Jeffs, founder and CEO, of the charity Surviving Economic Abuse (SEA) Cris McCurley Partner & Solicitor at Ben Hoare Bell.Producer Smita Patel Editor Emma Rippon

A High Street bank has refunded £145,000 to a man in his eighties after Money Box intervened. Alan was persuaded by thieves to transfer tens of thousands of pounds into what he thought were investments. The money was moved through his account at Metrobank which for many years had seen little activity. But the bank failed to notice large sums being transferred in from his savings and investments and out again almost at once. When a different bank finally blocked the scam, Metrobank only recovered a small proportion of the stolen money before closing the case. Then Money Box intervened and won back for Alan the full amount. We hear from Alan's wife Elizabeth. And from Morven Lean of the Alzheimers Society on how to work with banks to protect relatives with dementia from theft. Plus Kate Frankish of PayUK reveals new ways they're developing to try to cut authorised push payment fraud in future. Also - Dave, who got in touch with Money Box , describes the "black hole" he entered when the Department of Work and Pensions told him part of his salary could be taken to pay off a £1,000 benefits debt. The problem was - he'd never claimed the benefit, didn't owe the money and wasn't told which part of government was poised to take it from him. A year after problems like these were first raised by the programme, Stephen Timms, chair of the Work and Pensions select committee, assesses how well the DWP is fixing them.Plus - Would you borrow half the deposit you needed to buy a home if it meant losing half the profit when you sell it? Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Paul Waters Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Drew Miller Hyndman Editor: Emma Rippon

What does it cost to run an online business? Small business owners share their experiences of setting up, marketing and developing their online brand with Adam Shaw and guests. If you've a story, a good tip or lesson learnt we'd love to hear from you. Tweet @Moneybox or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk now and please include a phone number if you'd like to join in.Presenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Diane Richardson Editor: Emma Rippon

We're urged to be more environmentally friendly, but one listener has found he cannot release the equity he has tied up in his specially built, and officially signed off, eco-house. Is the equity release market out of step with efforts to counter climate change? We find out, with Money Box reporter Dan Whitworth and Amanda Moore, senior adviser at the UK’s largest equity release advice firm, Key. Money Box has fresh revelations about criminal websites on the open internet. Two weeks ago we told you about the websites on which crooks buy and sell your confidential financial information. This week, Money Box reporter Kaf Okpattah has found another website which sells a do-it-yourself tutorial explaining how to bypass banking security by intercepting one-time passcodes, in order to steal money from accounts. The government is proposing an Online Safety Bill - but will it stop criminals taking our cash? We hear from Damian Collins MP, Chairman of the parliamentary Select Committee looking into it.Some people who claimed Universal Credit benefits during the Covid pandemic may have to pay it back because the Department for Work and Pensions is suspicious about some claims. That's according to the Child Poverty Action Group, which says the DWP may be acting unlawfully by assuming that anyone who has failed to verify their identity in time - by sending a selfie by their front door holding a local newspaper, for instance - has been wrongly claiming help. We hear from CPAG solicitor, Claire Hall.And our Money Box Mini this week: Can I give my beach hut to somebody without anyone having to pay tax? Listen in for the answer.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Paul Waters Reporters: Dan Whitworth & Kafui Okpattah

How do you turn a brilliant idea into a usable and saleable product, what does it cost to protect your design and how do you get the funding to start production? On Wednesday’s programme Adam Shaw speaks to independent inventors who've developed solutions to personal problems and now sell them worldwide. If you’ve an experience or question you’d like to share we’d love to hear from you too. Tweet @Moneybox or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk nowPresenter: Adam Shaw Producer: Diane Richardson Editor: Emma Rippon

We hear from a new starter whose boss asked her to buy £800 of vouchers - but it turned out to be a scam. Employers’ social media could be putting staff at risk from fraudsters, but to whom can victims turn for compensation? Dr Elisabeth Carter, criminologist and forensic linguist at the University of Roehampton tells us how scammers use a technique known as "genre mapping".Many of us who are self-employed or with side hustles channel the income through our personal accounts, but as one Money Box listener and yoga teacher found out, it can lead to your personal account being suddenly frozen. Andy Chamberlain from IPSE - The Association of Independent Professionals and the Self-Employed - lays out account holders' rights.If you're half of one of the almost one in 10 married couples with an age gap of more than 10 years, your pension could take a surprise hit in the event of your partner dying. Many pension schemes contain a discretionary clause known as the “young spouse discount.” One Money Box listener tells us how her pension was unexpectedly and substantially reduced when her husband of 40 years died - because he was 25 years older than her. We also hear from former pensions minister, Steve Webb, partner at the pensions analysts, Lane, Clark and Peacock.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Paul Waters Reporter: Dan Whitworth Researcher: Kafui Okpattah

Felicity Hannah talks to parents and community groups about the challenges facing many families and asks what financial and practical support is available. We'd love to hear your views and questions. Tweet @Moneybox or e-mail moneybox@bbc.co.uk and remember to include a phone number if you'd like to take part.Presenter: Felicity Hannah Producer: Diane Richardson Editor: Emma Rippon

How much should the state pension rise by? Baroness Ros Altmann says pensioners are being short changed by a government plan to temporarily break the link with earnings. It'll save tax payers billions, but cost each pensioner hundreds of pounds. Baroness Altmann tells how she hopes to block the plan in the House of Lords next week and force a rethink.A Money Box investigation has discovered that criminals are openly buying and selling your financial information online. This data is known as “fullz”. This illegal trade used to take place on what is called the dark web but has now moved to social media and the ordinary web where it's much easier to find. Money Box Reporter Kaf Okpattah has been delving into the "fullz" trade. We also hear from a victim of the fraudsters, from Jason Dyer of cybercrime intelligence firm Scylla Intel, and from Amber Burridge, Head of Fraud Intelligence at CIFAS.People in Northern Ireland are facing even bigger rises in their gas and electricity bills than those in the rest of the UK. It's been described as the "worst energy price shock since the 1970s.” Gas bills have already gone up by 35 per cent in some cases, and there have been big price rises for electricity and heating oil - which most people use in Northern Ireland. More increases are expected in December. We hear John French, the CEO of the Utility Regulator of Northern Ireland.And the boss of one energy supplier says it's up to customers to wear more clothing if they want to keep their bills down. We hear from Bill Bullen, Chief Executive of Utilita Energy, about his Wear Warm campaign and why he says householders should not let their home temperature rise above 21°C.Presenter: Paul Lewis Producer: Paul Waters Reporter: Kafui Okpattah Researcher: Chris Blake