A fraud warning has been issued as more than 9,000 Nottinghamshire pensioners will soon receive extra financial support to help them with their rising bills. As energy costs are set to soar from October, Nottinghamshire County Council is urging those eligible to apply for help.
The government's Household Support Fund (HSF) is being offered to all people who claim Pension Credit in Nottinghamshire, whether guaranteed credit or savings credit. They are being invited to apply for extra support by Tuesday, September 6, with 5,000 still able to apply.
A one-off payment can be claimed for £135 for individuals or £185 for two people from the same household (who are both receiving Pension Credit and have received a letter). Those who have received a letter who have not yet applied can do so via an online form or by contacting the council's customer service team on 0300 500 8080.
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The payment can be claimed by requesting vouchers to be used at supermarkets, or through a 'PayPoint' cash voucher to be redeemed at a number of local retailers. The payment can also be directly transferred into a bank account.
John Cottee, the Cabinet Member for Communities at Nottinghamshire County Council, said: "We're really pleased to offer this latest round of help via the HSF to pensioners who are struggling the most, particularly due to rising costs of food and energy. It’s great news that more than 9,000 people will soon receive this support.
"However, if you've been away or not got round to applying yet, please look out from a letter from us and apply as soon as you can, as we don’t want anyone to miss out." Those living in city areas on Pension Credit can apply for a similar scheme administered by Nottingham City Council.
But issuing a warning about the potential for fraud, Councillor Cottee added: "We are aware that fraudsters can try to pass themselves off as Nottinghamshire County Council, so if you have any doubts when receiving this or any other letter from us, we'd encourage you to run the letter by family, friends, or someone you trust. You can feel free to ring our customer service team to check the letter is genuine. We won't be contacting anyone via text message."
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