Winter Payment "Phishing"
Published on 28 October 2024 12:36 PM
We have been made aware of the start of criminal activity using both text messages and emails to try and steal bank details by playing on older people's concerns about the Winter Fuel Payment.
What is the Winter Fuel Payment?
Winter Fuel Payment is an annual tax-free payment for households that include someone born on or before 22 September 1958 (for 2024-25) and, from 2024 onwards, receive Pension Credit, Universal Credit, Income Support, income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance or income-related Employment and Support Allowance, or an award of Child Tax Credit or Working Tax Credit of at least £26 for the tax year 2024-25. It's designed to help you cover your heating costs in winter, with households receiving up to £300.
As you can see in the image on the right of a text message example, language is being used to make you more concerned and prompt you to tap or click the link in the message to "update your details." Unfortunately the link doesn't go to the UK Government website or anything to do with Winter Fuel Payments.
Initially it was a clone of the UK Government website designed specifically to encourage you to hand over your personal details - this is referred to as "Phishing" as the criminals are using the process to "fish" for your personal information by "dropping you a line" by text or email.
Fortunately the owner of the website space had software to detect such misuse of their webspace and it was taken down fairly quickly. However we expect this will keep happening with the fake website moving around the internet and being hosted on different machines across the world to evade action being taken against it.
Please be aware that these messages can arrive either as a SMS Text Message to your phone or as an email to your email account on your computer or your phone. This text actually originated from a phone number in Denmark, that was likely hijacked or cloned.
Clicking unknown links puts your information at risk, don't let the cyber-criminals get your information.
If you do not get Pension Credit and think you may be eligible please contact us. Our Information and Advice Team can do a Benefit Check for you to see what you are entitled to:
Either email (clicking the button opens your email app with our email address already put in):
info@ageukbirmingham.org.uk
or telephone the dedicated Information and Advice line on
0121 437 0479
If you do call us, please stay on the line as if there is no-one available at Age UK Birmingham or Age UK Sandwell your call will either be redirected to the national Age UK Information and Advice Line, or if that is closed, you will be prompted to leave a message so we can call you back when it is possible to do so, but please be aware that demand on our services is very high.
We also have a general telephone line on 0121 437 0033. You may also want to view information on Digital Skills, enabling you or an older person you know to safely use the internet at (this is a link to another page on this site):