Pensioners are being urged "be aware" for a Winter Fuel Allowance scam as fraudsters are sending out fake text messages pretending to be the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
Winter Fuel Payments offer up to £300 in energy bill support for eligible elderly households, which has proven to be vital support for many pensioners during the cost of living crisis.
It appears that scammers are taking advantage of this benefit by sending out text messages to potential claimants, which could see Britons give up their financial information and lose their hard-earned money.
One GB News reader shared a text message that they received from likely fraudsters, who reached out to them using a phone number based from the Philippines.
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Britons are being hit by scam text from fraudsters pretending to be the DWP
|GETTY / GB NEWS
The text message read: "UK Department for Work and Pensions Reminder: To alleviate energy costs, the 2025-2026 Winter Allowance is currently being distributed.
"Payments will only be made to accounts that have successfully completed the application process. Please complete your application by August 6 to ensure your allowance is not cancelled or delayed."
As part of the correspondence, the scammers shared a link for the recipient to clock on, which looks like Government's official website.
It adds: "(Please reply with ‘Y’, then exit the message and reopen it to activate the link, or copy the link to the Safari browser and open it.).
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The DWP is alerting benefit claimants to potential scams
|GETTY
During the cost of living crisis, the DWP has issued previous warnings about the financial threat posed to benefit claimants to scammers.
Earlier this summer, the department posted on Facebook: "Be aware of scam text messages claiming to be from the Department for Work and Pensions.
"Always be careful about links and never share personal or financial details. Only engage with trusted official sources. You can report suspicious messages to Action Fraud or search"
According to Action Fraud, the previous Government's various cost of living payments saw an uptake in the number of fraudsters reaching out to vulnerable people.
The scam watchdog stated: "The DWP has issued a warning about scams related to cost of living assistance following reports of scam phone calls, emails and text messages.
"In one such example, the recipient is asked to claim or apply for the payment by registering via a link.
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The Government has previously pledged to clampdown on benefit fraudsters
| GETTY"The links in the emails and texts lead to genuine looking websites that are designed to steal personal and financial information.
"Please remember, if you are eligible for cost of living assistance, you do no need to apply for the payment or contact the DWP directly.
"Payment to you is automatic and the DWP will never ask for personal details by SMS or email."
GB News has contacted the DWP for comment.