This week the commission issued warnings about a travelling conman offering tree-lopping services in Dubbo, and about door-to-door marketers signing people up to government subsidised courses but not delivering the training.

Reports of unscrupulous training providers have risen in recent years. Last year one trader reportedly signed people up to courses at a Dubbo retirement village, while in another case people in Coonamble were given $50 on the spot to sign up.

Legislation to crack down on these training providers is before Parliament, and NSW Fair Trading and the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) have teamed up to investigate and prosecute offenders.

Itinerant traders and door-to-door marketers do come through the region on occasion, and it is not always easy to spot the legitimate operators from the phonies.

They can be unscrupulous, and try to take advantage of the most vulnerable, frail and elderly members of our community.

The best thing to do is to be cautious. If you are not sure whether an offer is legitimate, don't sign up to anything, and contact NSW Fair Trading or the ACCC to find out your rights.

Give the authorities as much detailed and descriptive information as possible so they can catch conmen ripping off the community.