Police have issued a warning about scam messages offering extra cost of living support ahead of the colder months.
National fraud centre Action Fraud and the City of London Police are asking people to check if they have received any text messages offering extra financial support.
Their warning comes after a series of reports of people receiving messages pretending to offer help with winter fuel payments.
Chancellor Rachel Reeves has decided to cut the winter allowance for the majority of recipients, meaning only pensioners on certain benefits will be able to get help with winter fuel.
The government has been contacting pensioners about pension credit, a benefit for people who have a weekly income of below £218, to encourage those who are eligible to sign up. However fraudsters have been making the most of the increased communication from the government to try and trick elderly people into sharing their bank details.
One scam message seen by The Independent said: “Due to the suspension of the heating subsidy by the parliament this winter, we will pay you this benefit in the form of living expenses allowance.”
It continues: “After reading the information, please submit your application before October 23, 2024. We will transfer the 900 euros into three tranches into your account before November 1, 2024.” It then includes a link for people to submit their details.
Another scam message, shared by charity Age UK, said: “Winter is coming, and we will continue to issue winter heating subsidies to help you survive this cold winter smoothly.
“Since you are eligible to apply, please update your information in the link after reading the information”.
Councils have warned that the government or local authorities would not ask people to click on links to make a claim for anything.
Those who are eligible for winter fuel payments will be paid automatically, they added.
Age UK said that the link sent out by fraudsters had been taking people to a clone of the UK government website “specifically designed to encourage you to hand over your personal details”. They warned people against clicking on unknown links.
The National Cyber Security Centre said that people might be able to spot scam messages by identifying bad grammar or spelling in the approach.
