Beware of winter fuel payment scams
- RW
- Nov 19
- 1 min read
Between April and Septpember 2025, Action fraud received 2,790 crime reports relating to Winter Fuel Payment scams, with victims reporting losses totalling over £27,000
Winter Fuel payments will be made automatically, they do not have to be claimed. If you receive any text messages about Winter Fuel Payments, - it's a SCAM!
Not sure if a message is real? This applies to any suspicious txt msg
How to check/report
Contact the organisation directly using the contact details on their official website, not the number or web address in the message. Your bank (or any other official source) won’t ask you to supply personal information by email or text message.
If you have spotted a suspicious SMS or RCS message, you can report it for FREE by forwarding** that text message to 7726
If you think you’ve been a victim of fraud, contact your bank immediately and report it to Action Fraud online at actionfraud.police.uk or by calling 0300 123 2040
The message above has been circulated to subscribers of the Wiltshire Community Messaging Services. Details of this service were provided in an earlier newspost:
** How to forward a txt msg
Open the message and press it for a few seconds and a short menu will open - see this example. (It's a spam txt I received earlier this month Ed.)
Select the 'Forward' option and send it to 7726
Hint to remember the number:
7726 spells SPAM on some keyboards, or better still, add it to your Contacts.
This procedure may vary according to the make/model of your phone but will be similar.