Listen: Dominic Littlewood warns us of warm home discount scams

With winter approaching and just weeks before Winter Fuel Payments are set to hit pensioners bank accounts, there’s a warning fraudster are also attempting to exploit the Warm Home Discount scheme offered by the government to support low-income households.

The government scheme, which begins this month, will provide millions of households with a £150 payment to help cover winter energy bills and runs until March 2026. Despite the scheme only just beginning, two fifths (43%) of people say they’ve already received scam messages falsely claiming they need to take action to sign up.

Fake texts, emails and calls are directing people to lookalike websites that harvest personal or banking data.

Nearly three quarters (72%) of Brits have been targeted by some kind of scam text, email or phone call this year, according to Smart Energy GB, with criminals impersonating official government schemes such as the Warm Home Discount to trick their victims.

Aston spoke to TV presenter Dominic Littlewood.

Photo by Colin Watts on Unsplash