Now that summer is officially over and with the colder months fast approaching, a warning has been issued to those eligible for the Winter Fuel payment across Gedling borough about the risk of fraudsters claiming to represent the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP).
The messages appear very convincing and often include a link asking the recipient to ‘apply’ for a payment’ or to ‘verify their details’ to receive funds.
It’s estimated that nine million pensioners over State Pension age in England and Wales with an income of, or below, £35,000 a year will receive the one-off payment this year. Legitimate payments are issued automatically by the DWP in November and December—so you do not need to apply to receive the payment.
But fraudsters are trying to advantage of this by sending out scam text messages and emails during the same period.
To help stay protected this winter, police have issued the following advice to stay scam aware:
- The Winter Fuel Payment is usually paid automatically. You do not need to apply for it if you’re eligible.
- The government will NOT ask you for bank details via text or email. They already have this information if you’ve received the payment before or if you receive a state pension.
- Do NOT click on any links in suspicious texts or emails about Winter Fuel Payments.
- Do NOT share any personal or financial information in response to these messages.
- Report fraudulent text messages by forwarding them to 7726. This is a free service that helps your mobile provider investigate and block malicious senders.
- Report suspicious emails to report@phishing.gov.uk
