Millions of people will be expecting £150 to drop into their bank accounts as councils continue paying out the Government's Energy Bill Rebate. Although some councils have already handed out the money, many people are still waiting to see the money appear on their bank balances.
And if you are waiting for the money, there is one thing people are being urged to be on the lookout for - fraudsters. People have been warned to be on guard for phone calls from fraudsters trying to get bank details out of people.
Households living in homes banded A to D are entitled to the money from the Government scheme. Consumer organisation Which? has issued a warning about the fraud, following an alert sounded by the Local Government Association.
Which? explains that scammers pretend to calling on behalf of the council and say that the £150 is due. The fraudsters then ask for your bank details to pay in the money.
It says: "According to those who've fallen foul of this scam, handing over these details led to large sums of money being deducted from their bank accounts shortly after the phone call.
"While local authorities are administering the council tax rebates, the Local Government Association has said councils don’t ask for bank details over the phone."
it added: "We've also seen of variations of this scam being sent by email and text message. Don't be tempted to respond to these texts and emails, if you don't currently pay your council tax by direct debit, you should wait to receive your letter from the council that will explain how to claim the rebate."
Wychavon District Council, based in Pershore, Worcestershire, is also sharing the fraud warning. It aims to complete payments to everyone paying by Direct Debit by the end of May, and urges residents to check their bank accounts during this month.
It said: "Wychavon is aware in other parts of the country there are reports of people receiving phone calls from fraudsters claiming to be from ‘the council’ asking for bank details.
"Wychavon will not be collecting bank details they do not have on record in this way. Anyone who receives one of these calls should not give out any information and put the phone down and report it at www.actionfraud.police.uk."
