Hertfordshire residents targeted by Winter Fuel Payment scam

Recent news of likely future increases in the cost of heating homes, has lead to an increase in winter fuel payment scam messages.

A winter fuel payments scam involves fraudsters sending fake text messages or emails to trick people into revealing personal or financial details by claiming they need to apply for a payment they are eligible for. These messages contain links to fake websites or ask you to provide information. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) confirms that genuine Winter Fuel Payments are made automatically to eligible people, and they never request applications or personal details via text or email.

What to do if you receive a suspicious message:

Do not click links: Avoid opening any links in the message.
Do not reply: Do not respond to the text or email.
Forward to report: Forward the scam message to 7726, which is a free service to report scams to your mobile phone provider.
Forward emails: Forward scam emails to phishing@hmrc.gov.uk.
Delete the message: After reporting, delete the message from your device.
Block the sender: to ensure you don’t get further scam messages.
Check the official source: Get reliable information about eligibility for the Winter Fuel Payment from the official https://orlo.uk/ZzNr0 website.

For more advice on fraud visit: https://orlo.uk/PNfpz