HOUSEHOLDS have been warned about cost of living scams from fake energy rebates to bogus petrol discounts by major banks.
Crooks are preying on hard-up families by impersonating energy companies as well as local councils in a bid to steal cash.
Fraudsters are sending emails and texts telling households they can get money off their energy bills, fuel vouchers and free cash for food.
They are exploiting the financial pressure on people as bills spiral under a cost of living crisis.
Fraud prevention service Cifas reports it has seen a rise in these phishing emails, which collect your personal and financial information.
Once you share this kind of information, you are at risk of having your identity and online accounts taken over – and your money stolen from you.
There are a number of scams households are being warned about.
Crooks are pretending to be energy companies, sending emails telling people they have overpaid on their energy bills between 2020 to 2021, the Daily Mail reports.
The email then directs people to click through and fill out a form with their financial information.
While consumer website Which? warned households of scam Ofgem emails, telling them that they are eligible for help via an “energy rebate scheme”.
Victims are told to share personal and payment details in order to claim their refund.
Another scam involves crooks ringing households up telling them…
