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06 September 2022

Protect yourself from energy support scheme scammers

3 minute read

The energy bills support scheme (or energy bill rebate) is a payment from the government to help deal with the increase in energy bills. All households with a domestic energy connection will automatically get the £400 discount in six monthly instalments from October. The money will be given direct to the energy suppliers, who will administer the discount to their customers. As it is a government grant and not a loan, the money will not need to be paid back.

The energy bills support scheme scam involves the scammer emailing a victim to tell them that they are "eligible to apply for an energy bill rebate" and must do so before a specific date, usually coming up shortly. The email contains links to a very professional website that is actually designed to steal your personal and financial details.

How to spot energy bills support scheme scam

  • You receive a message telling you that you are eligible for the energy bill rebate. Nearly every household in Britain is eligible for the rebate. But you don’t need to apply to get it, in fact you do not need to take any action at all. If you are contacted by email, text, phone or on social media with a message claiming to help you claim the rebate, this is highly likely to be a scam.

How to prevent energy bills support scheme scams

  • Ignore any requests for your personal and financial details relating to the energy bill rebate
  • While emails appear to be the primary method used for this scam, you should also be wary of any requests for your personal and financial details relating to the energy bill rebate from cold calls, text messages and on social media too. The scheme begins in October and so scammers will make the most of their chance between now and then to defraud as many people as possible.

How to report energy bills support scheme fraud

  • Report the scam to Action Fraud, the reporting centre for fraud and cyber-crime in England, Wales and Northern Ireland:
    • Call 0300 123 2040 Monday to Friday 8am - 8pm
    • Use the Action Fraud online reporting tool
  • Inform us straight away if you have provided any information to the scammers that they could use to access your account:

Do you need additional help?

The energy bills support scheme is part of the government’s cost of living support package, providing help with rising energy prices. Households most in need will be eligible for further support, which includes:

  • A £650 one-off cost of living payment for around eight million households on means tested benefits
  • A £300 one-off pensioner cost of living payment for over eight million pensioner households to be paid alongside the winter fuel payment
  • A £150 one-off disability cost of living payment for around six million people across the UK who receive certain disability benefits
  • A £500 million increase and extension of the household support fund available to councils to support vulnerable households with the cost of essentials such as food, utilities and clothing
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