The Government has proposed banning cold calls offering any financial products as part of its plan to tackle fraud and scams.

The Government is to ban cold-calling for all financial products as part of its beefed-up strategy to tackle financial fraud.

The Information Commissioner's Office has fined Halifax-based marketing company Parkin Beacher Ltd (PBL) £50,000 for making nearly 100,000 illegal marketing cold calls to people about their pensions.

A group of fraudsters were jailed for a combined 17 years and nine months today for their part in an elaborate wine investment scam which conned nearly £1m out of investors, many of which were elderly and vulnerable.