Scammers pretending to work for Ofgem are trying to swindle Brits out of money by sending emails that offer help with claiming the “energy bill rebate” due in October.
Households across the UK will be given a £200 ‘reduction’ in their energy bills in October, which is paid back over five years. The Energy Bills Support Scheme will be introduced to assist households with rising energy bills during the cost of living crisis.
Households will receive the £200 repayable discount automatically and will not have to apply for it, GOV.UK confirms. But fraudsters are taking the opportunity to exploit the scheme to try and con households into giving away their bank details. Action Fraud and Ofgem have both issued warnings about scams and remind households that the energy regulator will NEVER ask for bank details.
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Ofgem energy rebate scam warning
As of Friday May 20, Action Fraud – which is run by the police – said it received 752 reports of fake emails pretending to be from Ofgem in just four days. The emails say the recipient is “eligible to apply for Energy Bill Rebate” and must do so before June 1.
Action Fraud says: “The emails state that the recipient is eligible for a rebate as a result of a newly announced government scheme. The links in the emails lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal your personal and financial information.”
The “rebate” the email is referring to is the Energy…
