Which? says scam messages promise hundreds of pounds in energy help and lead to fake government sites, ahead of the real £100 payment in January 2027.
Scammers are already using the government's new £100 energy payment as bait. Consumer group Which? says fake texts and emails tell people they are owed hundreds of pounds for energy costs. The links lead to websites built to look like the official government site. The real payment has not even started yet.
The Household Energy Payment is £100 for households in council tax bands A to D in England. It is meant to help with energy bills. Payments are due from January 2027. Up to 20 million households are expected to qualify. That includes an estimated 83% of fuel stressed households in England and 88% of households in the bottom three income deciles, which means the lowest-earning 30%.
If you pay council tax by direct debit and live in bands A to D, you do not need to do anything. The government says the money will go straight into your bank account. No form, no link and no call is needed. Anyone who contacts you saying you must act first is not following the official process.
If you do not pay by direct debit, your council will invite you to apply. The government is firm on one point: nobody other than your council should get in touch asking you to claim the rebate. A text from an unknown number, an email from a government lookalike, or a message with an urgent deadline should all be treated as suspect. The amount matters too. The real payment is £100, so a promise of hundreds of pounds is a warning sign.
The alert box above lists the steps. In short, do not tap links, and check with your council directly if you are unsure. You can find your local council through the government's Find your local council page. Only share personal details if you are certain the message came from your council.
Councils will set their own rules for a separate discretionary fund and decide who gets help from it. They will post eligibility and application details on their websites once local arrangements are in place. Until then, there is nothing to apply for, which makes any message asking you to do so even more suspect.
The real £100 payment starts in January 2027, and only your council may ask you to claim it, so ignore any text or email that says otherwise.
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