Cost of living scams: What to watch out for

Get the free Morning Headlines email for news from our reporters across the world Sign up to our free Morning Headlines email Please enter a valid email address Please enter a valid email address SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. His headline gesture was knocking £400 off household energy bills alongside a £650 one-off payment for around eight million households on means-tested benefits; a £300 one-off payment to over 8 million pensioner households to be paid alongside their winter fuel payment; and a £150 one-off payment for around 6 million people across the UK who receive certain disability benefits. Analysis from antivirus software giant McAfee meanwhile reports that the number of scams naming one of the “big six” energy firms rose by 10 per cent year-on-year in the first three months of 2021 when citizens first began to fret about their heating bills. “We know scammers prey on our worries and fears and the cost of living crisis is no exception,” warns Dame Claire Moriaty, CEO of Citizens Advice. Three specific approaches Martin Lewis’s MoneySavingExpert site has warned about include: texts claiming to be from “Gov.org” or the DWP itself asking you to claim or apply for cost of living payments - something you do not need to do as they are made automatically; bogus calls claiming to be from your local council asking for bank or card details so that your £150 council tax rebate can be paid ; and fake messages purporting to be from Ofgem.