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Money Box: Voucher fraud - how employers' social media can put staff at risk

06/11/2021

Voucher fraud - how employers' social media can put staff at risk

BBC Radio 4 - Money Box, Voucher fraud - how employers' social media can put staff at risk

Voucher scams, how age gaps hit pensions and why a side hustle might freeze your finances

Voucher fraud, how a big age gap in your marriage could lead to unexpected cuts in your pensions and why your side hustle could freeze your finances

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

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Voucher fraud - how employers' social media can put staff at risk

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