1. Telephone lottery scams: These include a Canadian lottery scam and the El Gordo Spanish lottery scam, which deceptively uses the name of a genuine lottery. People respond to an unsolicited mailing or telephone call congratulating them on winning a prize in a national lottery - but before they can claim their winnings, they must send money to pay for taxes and processing fees. The prize doesn't exist.

2. Prize draw, sweepstakes and foreign lottery mailings

Again, most appear to be notification of a prize in an overseas draw or lottery, but first an administration or registration fee must be paid.

3. Premium rate telephone number scams

Consumers are notified by post of a win in a sweepstake or a holiday offer. The notification includes instructions to ring a premium rate or international number to claim their prize. The cost of the call always exceeds the value of the prize.

4. Investment-related scams

This involves an unsolicited phone call offering the opportunity to invest in shares, fine wine, gemstones or other soon-to-be-rare commodities. These investments often carry very high risk and may be worth a lot less than you pay. The shares are not quoted on any stock exchange and you will not be able to sell them easily afterwards.

5. Nigerian advance-fee frauds

This is an offer via letter, e-mail or fax to share a huge sum of money in return for using the recipient's bank account to permit the transfer of the money out of the country. The perpetrators will either use the information given to empty their victim's bank account or convince him or her that money is needed up front for bribing officials.

6. Pyramid schemes

These offer a return on a financial investment that depends on the number of new recruits to the scheme. Investors are misled about the likely returns as there are not enough people to support the scheme indefinitely - only the people who set up the scheme are able to make any money.

7. Matrix schemes

These schemes are promoted via websites offering expensive hi-tech gadgets such as free gifts in return for spending a nominal amount on a low-value product such as a mobile phone signal booster. Consumers who buy the product join a waiting list to receive their free gift. The person at the top of the list gets their free gift only after a prescribed number of new members - sometimes as high as 100 - join up. The majority of those on the list never receive the expensive item they expect.

8. Credit scams

This is another type of advance-fee fraud, originating in Canada. Advertisements appear in local newspapers offering fast loans regardless of credit history. Consumers who respond are told their loans have been agreed but before money can be released they must pay a fee to cover insurance. Once the fee is paid, the consumer never hears from the company again and doesn't get the promised loan.

9. Property investment schemes

Would-be investors attend a free presentation and are persuaded to hand over vast sums to sign up to a course promising to teach them how to make money dealing in property. Schemes may involve the opportunity to buy properties that have yet to be built at a discount. A variation is a buy-to-let scheme where companies offer to source, renovate and manage properties, claiming good returns from rental income. In practice, the properties are near derelict and the tenants are often non-existent.

10. Work-at-home and business opportunity scams

These often require money up front to pay for materials or investment in a business that has little or no chance of success.

Source: UK Office of Fair Trading