Due to the coverage of the changes in the cost of living scheme and Winter Fuel Payments, scammers have been targeting people and inviting them to ‘claim’ payments by clicking on a link and providing personal and financial information. This often comes in the form of a text message or email, and urges the recipient to act quickly as payments are limited.
Please remember that if you’re eligible for cost of living assistance, or a Winter Fuel Payment, you’ll automatically receive these and you don’t need to apply for them. You won’t be asked to provide personal or financial information by text message or email, so please remain vigilant against scammers and avoid clicking links in messages you're not expecting or that feel suspicious.
There are several signs you can look out for if you're not sure whether something's legitimate. Scam messages will often:
- Create a sense of urgency, by giving you a short amount of time to respond.
- Claim to be from someone official, like the Government, your local council or your bank.
- Try to make you feel anxious or fearful.
- Exploit current events - for example, the changing criteria for the Winter Fuel Payment.
You can report any suspicious messages to Action Fraud by forwarding texts to 7726, and emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
For more information on how to spot scam emails, texts and calls, please visit the National Cyber Security Centre website by clicking here.
