New cost of living scam warning issued as criminals target people with fake energy rebate emails
dailyrecord.co.ukAhead of energy prices increasing on October 1, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) has issued a new scam warning following more than 1,500 reports about fraudulent emails purporting to be about gas and electricity rebates from Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for the UK.
Over a two-week period covering the end of August and start of September, a total of 1,567 phishing emails related to this scam were reported using the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS).
The purpose of a scam email is often to get you to click a link, this will take you to a website which might download a virus to your computer, or steal passwords or other personal information - this is sometimes known as 'phishing'.
Financial pressure caused by the ongoing cost of living crisis can make people more vulnerable to scammers who offer fake rebates or refunds which turn out to be clever ploys to obtain personal details and gain access to bank or savings accounts.Commenting on the rise in energy phishing scams, Detective Chief Inspector Hayley King, from the City of London Police, said: “It is shameful that in a time of financial hardship, criminals are targeting members of the public by claiming they are entitled to receiving rebates and refunds.“If an email is genuine, the company will never push you into handing over your details.
Read more on dailyrecord.co.uk