The Trading Standards team is urging residents to be extra vigilant after Action Fraud has reported an increase in crime reports relating to fake text messages purporting to be from the UK government.

The texts state that the recipient is “owed” or “eligible” for an energy bill discount as part of the Energy Bill Support Scheme. The links included in the message lead to genuine-looking websites that are designed to steal your personal and financial information.

The Energy Bill Support Scheme provides £400 off energy bills for households in Great Britain from October 2022. You do not need to apply for this discount and you will not be asked for your bank details.

Always act with caution if you receive a message you were not expecting to receive and it prompts you to click on a link or visit a website and never provide your personal information or bank card details.

If you receive a suspicious text message, you can report it by forwarding the original message to 7726 – which spells “SPAM” on your keypad – and then delete the message from your phone. Your service provider can then investigate the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender, if it’s found to be malicious.

Please help protect others from falling victim to this type of scam, by telling your family, friends and neighbours about this alert.

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