Have any GN posters tried this service, or is it a scam?

This sounds like a scam to me. Helplines don't ask for your credit card details.

That's what I thought - both irritating and worrying, as this looked like a genuine Panasonic help page. I'll ring them perhaps. Thank you, AGAA4

They use the details they have to see if the £1 transaction goes through. If it does, they go on a spending spree.

Try this.

support-uk.panasonic.eu/app/answers/detail/a_id/8622

Thanks everyone - it really is an eye opener to see some of these sites; they look like the real thing and, like most people, I think I'm awake to the potential of internet fraud, but how easily one can be sucked in.

Loves Bach, why don't you try the Panasonic webchat? I have just successfully used the Hotpoint one, to get a part for my fridge.

It is really difficult to tell between fake and friend these days.

We had an email from our bank in France the other day, which DH and I examined in detail and decided not to respond to because we were thought it was dodgy. When we were in France last week we went into the bank - to discover that the email was entirely genuine, but better safe than sorry.

M0nica better safe than sorry. I have done the same.

If you give a caller - any caller - your card details, you can be sure that they will take more than £1 from it.

There is hardly a week goes by that I dont get an "invoice" for some good or service I purchased online.

The last one was for child car seats!

As I have neither a car not any children I was a mite suspicious.

The week before it was for hire of a large marquee

Yeah, right! I hate entertaining.

My DD, who is deeply suspicious and on full alert where potential fraud is concerned, was almost caught by a bank scam a few weeks ago. She realised what was happening, shut the call down and reported it. How easily people can be duped; I thought that I had heard of a service called 'Google Help,' but the card detail request was clearly not legitimate.

My bread maker was making a noise too, I just put a couple of drops of vegetable oil on the thingy that turns the paddle and that solved the problem.

Llamedos13 I did try a small amount of WD40 - my go to cure for almost everything squeaky - but it didn't help. I will try the vegetable oil - probably a far better option for a food machine, on reflection, and also try the helpline suggested by Marydoll.

I recently did my 3 yearly driving license renewal online, filling in the medical details etc. I then received an email from DVLA asking me to set up an account with them in order to enable reading an encrypted message. This struck me as suspicious. However, I called DVLA, and discovered this was genuine. To open an account, I needed my passport number and my driving license number. Luckily, I had taken a photograph of my license before I sent it back. I then received a security code by text, then another by email. The purpose of their email was to give me yet another medical questionnaire, but this one had to be printed then posted. Not a quick procedure, but glad they’re being cautious.

Type your issue into Google and hopefully there will be some information from others with the same issue and how to resolve it…

The same thing happened to me when trying to contact Samsung and 48 hours later £15 was taken out as a monthly fee. Apparently this was stated in the small print but looking at the reviews this has happened to many people. I complained and my money was refunded.

With emails place the cursor over the name/address it is 'from' so it gets a blue background (on my computer anyway) click and see what appears. With scams the real sender's email address appears - recently I have had fake emails purporting to come from John Lewis, and this approach showed me that they were from a scammer. I report scams like this - it is easy. All you do is forward the scam email to [email protected]

Some years ago I wanted help with a Panasonic camera and was directed to a website that charges for help and advice although genuine. At first I thought that I was dealing with Panasonic directly. I complained and any money was refunded.

I tried one of these for my central heating remote control.
You can ask a single question and receive a single response for your £1, but if you reply any more than 'thank you' once you've had that first response, they'll then charge you about £40

I phone customer services if I have issues with kitchen appliances. I don't trust online sites.

Be warned about a Catholic prayer site called Hallow. I failed to read the tiny print and ended up paying £59 for a year's subscription which I certainly did not want. I had just won £50 on Premium Bonds so that did not last long!

As many have said, masses of attempted scams out there. My email software shows me the actual sender, so it's easy to see that it is NOT McAfee wanting more money to renew their security (which I don't have), it's not NatWest wanting to ensure their records re my card (which I don't have) are correct, and that it is not really FedEx wanting an extra £2-99p to deliver my parcel (etc etc).

You SHOULD be able to see who really has sent a potentially dodgy email, by getting to 'properties' (systems vary, but possibly put the cursor on that email in your inbox and do a 'right-click'). Bear in mind that the email address that has sent your spoof email may know nothing about it, if their PC or gadget has been hacked!

If you find a dodgy one, DO PLEASE forward it to [email protected] (then delete it). AND -- if you get a spoof text on your phone, PLEASE FORWARD it to 7726.

Most banks and courier firms also have their own fraud unit, you can Google the name ("NatWest phishing" etc) copy them in along with the Action Fraud email.

Masses of FREE online advice exists, re all sorts of appliances and household repairs. Quite legit, and very often with a handy U-Tube film and commentary.

Now, must dash, I've an email from a very nice Nigerian lady, recently widowed, really sad, she just needs £75 to pay a bribe to a chap at her hubby's bank (he was President) that will release the password to an account holding 47 trillion dollars paid as a slush fund by American firms re oil and gas reserves. Ours to share once we 'grease the wheels'.