Consumer champion Martin Lewis has issued a warning about scammers as people begin to receive their £400 Government payment to help towards their energy bills.
He says criminals are posing as the Government and have been contacting householders about the payment. These messages typically request people to send them personal information, which scammers can use to access bank accounts and steal money.
Martin Lewis appeared on Good Morning Britain alongside Susanna Reid to warn viewers of the circulating scam. The Money Saving Expert has been fronting the ITV news programme every Monday to offer financial advice to people amid the cost-of-living crisis.
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The news comes as the Government announced it would be helping households across the UK with a £400 payment to help them tackle soaring energy bills. However, Martin warned viewers to be vigilant as criminals are sending messages that appear to be from the Government, reports The Mirror.
He said: "If you are contacted about the £66 a month, £400 winter electricity payment, you will be contacted by your energy firm, to give you info about it. You will not be asked to fill in any details.
"You should not fill in any details. If somebody asks you for details, even if it looks like Gov.uk - or it looks like it is, it really isn't. It is trying to scam you and get your details to data mine you or break into your bank account.
"Don't touch them, don't open them, don't look at them. Just delete them. Simple as that. Your own firm will contact you but it will not be contacting you for you to do anything. It will just be giving you information."
Millions of households began receiving the £400 energy discount from October 1. This is on top of Prime Minister Liz Truss’ Energy Price Guarantee, which will freeze energy bills at £2,500 a year for the average household.
Families will receive the £400 off their energy bills in six instalments. The discount will be taken off the £2,500 figure unveiled by the Prime Minister, reducing the average bill this year to around £2,100.
A discount of £66 will be applied to energy bills this month and in November. This amount will go up to £67 each month from December through to March 2023.
Direct debit customers will receive the energy bill discount automatically - meaning they don't need to take any action to get the money off their bills. The cash will be applied either as a deduction to your monthly direct debit, or as a refund to your bank account after your direct debit has been taken.
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