The cost of living is rising with many people trying to save as much money as they can.
Just recently Scots have been hit with a warning from Advice Direct Scotland (ASD) as Ofgem prepares to announce a new price cap for the period covering October to December.
The announcement will be made tomorrow, Friday August 26, with the financial experts telling bill payers an 'incredibly challenging' period could lie ahead for millions.
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Energy experts predict that the price cap for October will be £3,550 and then reach £4,000 by January, as reported by Edinburgh Live. This comes as Ofgem has changed the way they adapt the price cap and will now be changing it every three months.
However whilst the price cap is set to increase, Which? have issued an urgent warning to those paying their energy bills amid a recent scam.
According to the consumer comparison website, fraudsters are posing as energy regulator Ofgem in a bid to gain access to people's financial and other personal information.
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The e-mail, as seen below, has the official logo on it with claims that they are now offering an 'energy bill rebate scheme' and when they follow the provided link, they are re-directed to a fake, online portal where they enter their information in a bid to claim a refund.
The convincing explains that bill payers can claim a discount of 3200 as well as a Council Tax Rebate of £500 stressing that you need to claim it before September - in just a few days time.
It can also be sent from a number of different e-mails which may seem legit by using words such as 'Ofgem' however people have been warned to stay vigilant.
According to Which? fake emails they have come across use the following, but there could be more:
- info@rebate-ogem.com
- info@totalsolutions24-7.co.uk
- reservations@expedicar.ro, and
- info@globalskyward.com.
Taking a closer look at the website, and as part of their investigation, Which? filled in the details that they were prompted to when they clicked on the link and they were asked for personal information including their home address. phone number, card payment details and their mother's maiden name. in order to set up a 'direct debit'.
Which? say: "Anyone providing these details to the scam site is likely to find their card fraudulently debited and would also be at grave risk of their identity and online accounts being taken over. Both Which? and Ofgem have reported this scam website to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).
"Which? has also seen examples of fake text messages impersonating the energy regulator. One example claims you're 'eligible for a government funded £400.00 energy bill rebate' and directs you ofgem.secure-reg.com to complete the application. The website was blocked by our security filters as it was identified as a phishing website. Which? has reported this website to NCSC."
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