Senior Citizens Warned of Winter Fuel Scam Sweeping the UK

A sophisticated new scam exploiting recent changes to the Winter Fuel Payment program targets British senior citizens.

New Wave of Winter Fuel Scams

Fraudsters have been spotted sending deceptive texts that claim to offer “cost of living support” or “winter heating allowances” to the elderly, attempting to capitalize on concerns over recent government cuts and rising energy costs.

The rogue texts appear to come from government sources to increase their perceived legitimacy. Recipients are directed to fake GOV.UK websites, where their personal information and payment details are stolen under the guise of receiving assistance with securing winter heating payments.

Urgency Tactics Used to Deceive Victims

Like other scams, this Winter Fuel Payment scheme uses a sense of urgency to impede the decision-making skills and critical thinking of their targets.

Some of the notable phrases spotted in this malicious campaign include “fill in the application form as soon as possible” and “last notice” warnings to claim benefits before a cutoff date.

In one such example, con artists reassure recipients that they qualify for support, and that the aid funds will be released within days—provided the recipient submits the requested details promptly.

However, a closer inspection of the link appended to the text message reveals that the scam is poorly constructed. Although the phony website, noticesgove[.]top, is convincingly similar to its legitimate counterpart, the “Cardholder” field only accepts numbers rather than letters, betraying the page’s malicious intent.

Scammers Attempt to Capitalize on Recent Government Cuts

The scam stems from the UK government’s announced plan to scale back Winter Fuel Payments, a program that supported approximately 11.4 million pensioners last year. Current cuts have reduced eligibility by 1.5 million, sparking concern among seniors.

According to cybersecurity expert Jake, nearly 600 domains are linked to this scam. Furthermore, BleepingComputer reports that websites associated with the scheme behave differently depending on the device from which they are accessed. Mobile users are presented with convincing, counterfeit GOV.UK pages, while desktop users encounter a domain-for-sale page instead. This strategy implies that attackers may have tailored the scam to deceive senior citizens who typically rely more on mobile devices for communication.

UK Authorities Urge Citizens to Remain Vigilant

The UK’s Regional Organized Crime Unit (ROCU) has warned the public to watch out for these scams.

“Scam text messages talking about winter heating subsidies, and other support is being sent claiming to be from the Department of Work and Pensions and the Home Office to try to trick unsuspecting recipients into believing they will receive a heating subsidy,” reads ROCU’s advisory. “You should never click on the link, provide any personal details including bank details or make any sort of payment.”

UK’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) also encourages citizens to forward suspicious scam texts to 7726 (which spells “SPAM” on mobile keypads) and suspicious emails to [email protected]. Additionally, victims can report scams to the UK’s national fraud reporting center, Action Fraud.

Detecting and Deterring Scams with Dedicated Tools

Specialized solutions like Scamio can also help you avoid winter fuel payment frauds and other deceitful tactics. Designed to assess the legitimacy of messages, emails, links, images, and QR codes, Scamio allows you to submit suspicious content for quick analysis.

It can quickly check if the content is associated with phishing or fraudulent activities, making it ideal for those who may feel less tech-savvy or unfamiliar with the latest scam tactics.

Seniors can input any questionable message they receive into Scamio, which performs a quick assessment and alerts them if the message could be a scam. It also works with given scenarios: users can describe a situation and Scamio will offer a quick assessment of its perceived legitimacy.

Scamio is free and available on Facebook Messenger, WhatsApp and your web browser. You can also help others stay safe by sharing Scamio with them in France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Romania, Australia and the UK.