Criminals are pretending to offer the government’s cost-of-living payments to victims to gather personal data and financial information.
People have been contacted with a text containing a link to a copycat government website.
The text reads: “Your annual living allowance for 2023-2024 has not been received yet, it is valid for three working days, this will be the last notice to you.
“Please submit your application as soon as possible.”
After clicking on the link, it takes you through to a convincing website using the gov.uk logo, font and branding.
Visitors are then instructed to register for a ‘£900 Cost of Living payment’ by entering their name, number, email address and home address.
The form then prompts the user to submit financial information in order to receive the payment.
Which? investigated the website and found that the scam site was newly created.
It also asked for ‘state’ and ‘zip code’ in the address section, a clear giveaway that it was created outside of the UK and therefore not a legitimate government page.
They emphasised important steps for identifying fraudulent websites, such as verifying if the URL starts with “http,” which often indicates that the site is unencrypted and potentially unsafe.
If you are entitled to the government’s Cost of Living Payments scheme, you won’t have to apply and you will be paid automatically.
If you were given the link via email or text, this is also a warning sign.
If you have been scammed and need help to recover your money fill out our Fraud Reclaim Form or call us for advice on 0333 9998791.