From October 1, energy bills are set to rise, with average households paying £2,5000 a year. Ofgem has issued a warning as they have been inundated by reports of scams.
The company tweeted: “We are being inundated by reports of scams.
“Be vigilant. Be #ScamAware.”
Britons are getting text messages from numbers pretending to be the Government, relating to Energy Bills Support Scheme.
The Energy Bills Support Scheme provides a £400 non-repayable discount to eligible households to help with their energy bills over winter 2022 to 2023.
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All households with a domestic electricity connection in England, Scotland and Wales are eligible for the discount.
The discount is automatic so if people get a message asking for their bank details, this could be a scam.
Action Fraud gave an example of what these scam messages could look like.
They could read: “GOV-UK: Due to the Energy Bill Support Scheme, you are owed £400 under the discounted energy bill.
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An Ofgem spokesperson said: “Protecting consumers is our top priority and it is alarming that vulnerable customers are being preyed upon in this way when people are already struggling so much.
“That’s why, as energy regulator, on top of issuing our own warnings and advice, we have asked all energy suppliers to ensure clear and up to date information on scams is easily accessible on their websites.
“We take these attempts to exploit consumers very seriously and work with the National Cyber Security Centre to prevent these malicious attacks. If people are unsure if something is a scam they should pause, check and don’t let callers push you into anything.
“Genuine organisations won’t mind you calling back; only scammers apply pressure and insist you hand over details immediately. If you have any doubts about a message, consumers should contact the organisation directly and not use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website.”
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