You call your bank and the person in the call centre utters the dreaded words: 'I just need to ask a few questions to take you through security'. What follows is either smooth or bizarre. At times you may breeze through, at others you get a hit-or-miss quiz on memorable places, names, pets and arcane account transactions. And all of this is playing into con artists' hands.

While the supply of homes for sale hits record lows, demand from buyers was equally 'subdued' last month, RICS said. The shortage of homes available has also had a knock-on effect on sales, with an increasing number of experts in the industry reporting a decline in completed transactions.

We asked trusted experts to recommend the best funds that cover different investment sectors - and included This is Money's selection of active and passive options too.

I've just got my first flat and am getting in a handyman over Easter to do some much needed work on it. According to my father, it's illegal to pay cash in hand for work, is this true? I'd also like to know if I'd be covered if any problems with the work come up after I've paid cash, or whether it'd be better to use a card or bank transfer.

Mother-to-be Claire Pearson, 38, from Surrey, main picture, was seven months pregnant when she lost almost all of the £71,700 inheritance she'd received from her late father. Daniel Hughes, 19, bottom right and Terry Allen, 75, top right have lost almost £5,000 between them and they are all among fraud victims being fobbed off by Santander. All were ripped off by fraudsters pretending to be from the bank's anti-fraud team. Customers who have lost thousands of pounds in sophisticated scams are being sent carbon-copy letters by the bank rejecting their requests for a refund, Money Mail and This is Money can reveal.

The interest rate charged on student loans in England and Wales will rocket to as high as  6.1 per cent for some in September. The interest charged depends on when you started university, but new students this year and many of those already studying will be charged up to 6.1 per cent interest on their loans.

I lent my father this money in good faith and I now need it back but he's said I'll only get it back when he dies. However, as he's married - I don't think I would be entitled to anything anyway and I find it hard to understand when he's been spending so much money elsewhere.

Today NS&I; has launched its three-year Investment Guaranteed Growth Bond, first announced in last year's Autumn Statement. The Government backed account pays a best-buy rate of 2.2 per cent on balances up to £3,000, but experts say it might not be as good a deal as it first might look.

Gfinity hosts and broadcasts online video game competitions for games such as Call of Duty and Fifa, which pit players against each other and allow others to watch online.

Holidays are supposed to be about balmy beaches and cocktails on warm summer evenings.
But for Peter Fankhauser, the chief executive of tour operator Thomas Cook, it's all pretty hard work. Every mishap, from the trivial to the tragic, that travellers can conceivably suffer abroad means risk and cost.

Brexit-fuelled panic in the housing market has failed to materialise - but we're just starting to negotiate Britain's exit deal. Will house prices fall as Osborne predicted? We take a look at the dynamics at play and suggest some ways to protect your finances whatever happens.

Not impressed by the new-era Mini range that's emerged under BMW ownership since the turn of the century? This selection of modernised originals might be right up your street. Each will have sat-nav, air-con, new suspension, powerful brakes and a tuned version of the original 1,275cc engine. But it doesn't come cheap.

The top performer spot among investment asset classes is in constant flux, making future predictions a 'fool's errand', new research reveals.

We have rounded up the top five simple tricks holidaymakers can use to boost your Avios points to get you closer to bagging a free flight or seat upgrade.

Tony Hetherington is Financial Mail on Sunday's ace investigator, fighting readers corners, revealing the truth that lies behind closed doors and winning victories for those who have been left out-of-pocket. Find out how to contact him below. A.D. writes: I live on a council estate and recently discovered that we are on a soakaway for surface water drainage - and not the national drains that are the general rule.  Yet we have been charged for years for drains we do not have. I emailed Anglian Water and received a £265 refund. I contacted Suffolk County Council and found that all of our estate is on the soakaway. 

The average price of a semi-detached property has soared in some parts of the country, including areas of Winchester and Bristol where typical values have reached more than £1million. The exclusive report by estate agents Savills found that average values of such properties have climbed 20.9 per cent during the past five years, up from £199,000.

The home phone is heading towards extinction. TOBY WALNE plots the rise and fall of the landline and assesses whether it really is time to hang up on the old handset. The landline telephone used to sit at the heart of the family home, taking pride of place on a hallway table or hanging on a wall in the kitchen. The chunky handset had a curly cord which was infuriatingly prone to becoming tangled, and lovestruck teenagers lived in the vain hope of escaping parents from eavesdropping on their conversations on an 'extension' in another room.

This month patients see a five per cent increase in the cost of NHS dental care in England. A routine check-up will cost £20.60 - up from £19.70. It follows similar increases in April last year. But there are ways to spread the cost - and save money - on everyday medical and dental treatment, and even some alternative therapies, by using health cash plans. The schemes, sometimes known as NHS top-up plans, are a form of low cost insurance policy to help meet the cost of a range of non-urgent healthcare procedures and appointments - not just at the dentist but also at the optician and for osteopathy, physiotherapy, chiropody and a visit to a chiropractor.

Although cash Isas don't currently offer fantastic rates, it is still worthwhile opening one to shield money away from the taxman. Our savings correspondent Lee Boyce picks his five favourite cash Isas for savers in 2017 - essential reading to help you choose a top savings account for your money. This page is kept up-to-date throughout the year - bookmark it for the very latest developments.

To clear the average national household debt of ?13,000 at 6% interest with a monthly repayment of ?100 will take around 17 years. There are, however, plenty of simple ways to make significant savings on your regular spending that could clear your debt - or boost your savings - in less than a year. This is Money's top 50 - updated - money-saving tips may appear light-hearted but are deadly serious.

Choosing the right DIY platform is crucial but a wealth of choice and changes to charges have left many investors scratching their heads. We pick some of the best. We also highlight why investing in an Isa makes sense, as it should protect your hopefully growing investments from tax forever.

The amount you can save into a pension ultimately depends on what you can afford - but the longer you leave it the more you will need to save. We tend to put ambitious targets on our hoped-for income in retirement and then underestimate how much we will need to set aside to achieve that. So how much should you save?

Inflation pushed up to a higher than expected 1.6 per cent in December, but pressure remains within the range that the Bank of England is expected to disregard in its interest rate decisions. Rate setters did not meet in January due to the shift from monthly decisions, the next MPC meeting and announcement is due in early February, alongside the Inflation Report.

Despite endless media coverage of the political wrangling and financial speculation, the average Briton can be forgiven for remaining confused about what 'soft' and 'hard' Brexit really mean. But a clever table put together by HSBC cleaves some clarity from the murk.

Compare your pay to the national average and see whether your employer treated you to a pay rise in line with the the rest of your profession. Farmers, care and air travel assistants were big winners on the pay scales in 2016. Travel agents, careers advisers and probation officers lost out.