Energy rebate: Scam warning as Britons receive dangerous email offering £450 | Personal Finance | Finance
Last week, the Government announced every household would get £400 to assist with the rising cost of energy. While the support has been widely welcomed, it has not stopped scammers who are looking to cash in.
Sadly, there have already been reports of a dangerous scam which claims to offer Britons hundreds of pounds if they take action.
The email purports to be from UK energy regulator Ofgem, adding supposed legitimacy to claims made in the correspondence.
Appearing on BBC’s Morning Live today, expert Rav Wilding issued a vital warning to those who receive an email of this kind.
He said: “Scammers are sending out emails to people, saying they can get an energy rebate worth £450 if they are to follow the instructions on the website.
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“If you are to click on it, you’ll be taken to a website like this where they’ll ask for all your personal information, your financial information.
“Then, people are going to lose money to these fraudsters in various ways. But ultimately, they want to drain people’s bank accounts. Please do not click on links!”
The energy bill rebate is being paid directly to eligible Britons, and as such, no action is likely to be needed.
As a result, individuals who receive an email like this can safely assume it is a scam.
At this point, it should be deleted from their inbox, and not engaged with any further.
Rav added: “If you pay by direct debit, it will come straight back to the account you pay your energy from.
“If you have a pre-payment meter, you will get a voucher credited to that account.
“Ofgem do not ask people for money anyway! It is not what they do. They are a regulator.”
Many Britons will want to take additional steps to protect themselves, and co-presenter Alex Jones was keen to establish what individuals should do next.
Rav explained: “The best advice is to stop and take a moment to think about whether it could be a scam.
“Check the details such as the spelling, the punctuation and the grammar, the email address it is sent from. Could it be a scam?
“Protect yourself and each other. People who are scammers will pressure you to take action, genuine companies will not.”
Rav stressed that anyone who feels they have fallen victim to a scam should act as soon as possible.
They can report the matter to Action Fraud, or Police Scotland if they are in Scotland, to alert authorities of the issue.
In addition, people should always call their bank directly on the number 159.
This will connect them to legitimate bank officials who may be able to take action to stop payments.
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