MP for Gosport, Dame Caroline Dinenage, is warning constituents against the danger of scammers seeking to take advantage of new Government support schemes.
Dame Caroline was made aware of a scam circulating via text that is posing as the Government, asking individuals to apply for the new Energy Bill Support Scheme. The Energy Bill Support Scheme provides a £400 discount to eligible households to assist with energy bills over winter 2022-2023.
This is an automatic discount applied to your monthly electricity bill for 6 months, starting in October 2022. Traditional pre-payment meters will receive these discounts through vouchers, sent to you via post, SMS or email directly from the electricity supplier.
The text posing as the Government is a scam, and the link should not be followed.
Commenting, Dame Caroline said:
“I am saddened to see that scammers are looking to hijack Government support schemes for their own unscrupulous gain. These scams will impact vulnerable people who need the support the most.
I urge caution when opening links sent via text. Specifically, I can say that any text requiring you to apply for the Energy Bill Support Scheme is a scam. You do not need to apply for this scheme.”
