Winter Warmer Scam

Winter Payment "Phishing"
​
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.