Bunch of fives: the week's top five news stories

This is the week that was. We have been able to nail down the nefarious dealings of one ‘company’ behind the notorious PC cold-call scams.

Ofcom and the OFT have also been working hard to improve consumer protection. And in a spirit of openness, the Royal Family has let us plebs catch a glimpse of life inside “The Firm”.

There has been only one ‘knee-jerk’ reaction style story, focusing on the mischief that people can allegedly get up to using prepaid bank cards online.

Here is a quick round up of the five most popular stories on our site this week.

Police close in on PC support fraudsters

Some hard work by Computeractive staff has hopefully started to unravel the methods of one of the ‘companies’ behind the PC support phone scams. Trading Standards is investigating and we have also contacted the relevant police force in India. There is a lot of work still to be done, and it may prove difficult bringing anyone to justice if they are based outside UK jurisdiction, but it’s a start.

OFT wants clarity for online consumer rights

The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) meanwhile wants consumers to know more about what their rights are when shopping online. Consumer protection is strong but the law is complex and retailers often appear as bewildered about online shoppers’ basic rights as their customers.

Ofcom to take action over misleading broadband speeds

Ofcom’s latest broadband research proves what everyone already knew; those “up to” broadband speeds are not worth the paper the adverts are printed on. But if you feel ripped off, you will have to wait 12 months before the regulator officially changes its broadband Code of Practice.

MP slams prepaid credit cards in House of Commons

One somewhat ill-considered proposal concerns making people produce proof of identity when buying prepaid bank cards. The rationale behind the proposal is not the issue; to clamp down on various online criminal behavoiurs including buying images of child abuse. But Labour MP Geraint Davies has no hard proof that these cards are being used by paedophiles.

Royal Family opens Flickr page to public

And last but not least; proving to be one of the week’s most popular stories, the Royal family has given us a glimpse into their more rarefied world. By setting up a Flickr page, people can view photos of the Royals at home and at official engagements.