Energy Bill Rebate - is this a scam??

Germanshepherdsmum

I don’t remember when I last paid anyone by cheque!

It was for labour at our workshop and the time before that was 2 years ago. I did ask him about it “don’t do internet banking” but he does live 20 yards from the bank (at the moment!)

karmalady

I went to an actionfraud talk the other week. It was eye opening and given by an ex police officer. The minute you give your bank details to anyone, they will have open access to your account

Most crimes now are frauds and many suck you in on a social level ie befriending, interest groups etc

A bit off topic

I will not ever use my debit account to pay for anything again. A cc transaction is between the bank and the seller and anything after that the cc company is liable. A debit card payment allows open access to your money

Surely they meant more than just your account number and sort code. Giving "your bank details" includes the password and security details that go with it " Every check you write has your bank account number and sort code on it - you can't avoid giving that out if you pay by check, not by physical cash.

To get into your bank account online, you have to answer some questions about your security details and password, and if you get the answers wrong three times your account is frozen until you have personally phoned the bank and satisfied them who you are. A scammer would need to do this too.

You should NEVER give all these details to a random anonymous caller, but your bare account number and sort code have to be known by anyone who gives YOU money - your pension for a start, if it is paid directly into your bank account. They can't get money OUT with just those two facts.

It’s got ‘scam’ written all over it. If it was from Gov UK the web address would contain ‘gov.uk’, not the rubbish shown in your screen print.

Tbh, Blossoming, I was pretty sure that it was a scam, I just thought that I’d highlight it, as I’m not an expert on these things.

tickingbird

I believe that’s a scam. You don’t need to apply. It should be applied automatically to your bills at £66 a time.

I echo what tickingbird has said, that is a scam. You will receive it automatically on your bills. Do not respond to that text, delete it.

Germanshepherdsmum

I have never used my debit card online, only my credit card. I don’t want to find my account has been emptied. I have had my cc details stolen a few times, inconvenient but always quickly sorted out.
I don’t understand Lucca. Have you checked your credit history?

She won't have any credit history if she has never had any credit, so there is nowhere for anyone issuing a credit card to check how good she was at repaying anything she previously bought with a (non-existent) credit card.

Lenders (which is what a bank credit card is) back each other up on checks for defaulters, to minimise their chance of losing their money, so if you have no positive credit history once you are past being very young, you could be hiding a very bad credit past, and they don't want to risk it. Catch 22.

Things such as defaults on mortgage payments and CCJs show up on your credit history, not simply credit card payments. I’m not suggesting anything like this would show up on Lucca’s history. You can’t hide a bad credit history. Everyone who has a credit card had to start somewhere, often at a point when they had no credit history.

FannyCornforth

Tbh, Blossoming, I was pretty sure that it was a scam, I just thought that I’d highlight it, as I’m not an expert on these things.

I think you did exactly the right thing. You may have thought it was a scam, but it is a new version. Putting it on here warns anyone who might not have realised.

It has been known for transactions to appear by mistake on a rating, so it could be worth taking it up with your bank, if you know that you shouldn't have anything adverse on yours.

If someone is retired and without a significant regular private income it might be difficult to obtain a credit card. When Amazon were threatening to stop accepting payment by Visa I looked into this and obtained a MasterCard with a low credit limit (£750 I think) from the Post Office, specifically for use on Amazon. Never used it as Amazon and Visa reached agreement.

Karmalady said:
'I will not ever use my debit account to pay for anything again. A cc transaction is between the bank and the seller and anything after that the cc company is liable. A debit card payment allows open access to your money'

Well, I often use my debit card to pay for things - but this seems like a sensible solution to insure myself against fraud. I don't know why I hadn't thought of that! Just need to juggle how to organise this after years of doing it my way! Thanks.

FannyCornforth

Tbh, Blossoming, I was pretty sure that it was a scam, I just thought that I’d highlight it, as I’m not an expert on these things.

I know you did Fanny, I’m pointing out one of the signs for the benefit of those who may not know.

Thanks B
What about the phone number?
Is that a give away?

Yes, it is. GOV.UK wouldn’t make calls or send texts from a personal phone number.

It’s been identified as a fake scammer number on the Who Called database.

who-called.co.uk/Number/07543545621

Germanshepherdsmum

If someone is retired and without a significant regular private income it might be difficult to obtain a credit card. When Amazon were threatening to stop accepting payment by Visa I looked into this and obtained a MasterCard with a low credit limit (£750 I think) from the Post Office, specifically for use on Amazon. Never used it as Amazon and Visa reached agreement.

On one of the consumer programmes (years ago) they took half a dozen people to see how easy it was to get credit. The one who couldn't was a priest. That's suck in my mind for years. What a shallow society we are.

It all comes down to regular income and perceived ability to pay doesn’t it? Computer says no and doesn’t care if you’re a priest or a hooker (though the latter likely has a much higher income).

Lucca, I think there's a cc company called Aqua who may be a solution. My son had your situation and this company accommodated him willingly. For my dd payments I have a separate debit card account where I only transfer the amounts I have agreed to. There's no extra for any company who feels self indulgent or whimsical.

Allsorts

I had a letter from my energy provider telling me how I was going to receive the £400. Had I not received then i would have thought it was legitimate. Is there no way fraud squad can catch the criminals that do this?

There is Allsorts, I know somebody that works in cyber crime. They do get caught, eventually.

Today, by email I have had an alert from "Amazon" saying that someone at the other end of the country has tried to access my Amazon account. It then gives me a link to log in and change my password, etc. I am sure this is a scam as (poorly worded) what should I do?

That is definitely a scam. I have had that one too.

if you get a chance to hear an actionfraud talk then go, it was eye opening and I am an astute person. They do them at U3A and will speak at any group if asked

I got a cc card from my halifax bank, very easy as they have my bank record in front of them and even better is that I see at a glance how much I owe cc as I check my bank account every single morning

The policeman says that he only ever pays for anything via his cc and I am now doing the same

44% of all crime now are scams. Next year it will be 66% and the most targetted depends on where you live. Here in my market town, it is retired people. Even online hobby groups and sites like this

I also kept my old smile ccand make sure to use it once a month so it stays alive

Policeman said that 3rd party is also safe as in paypal

another example eg barclays bank. Someone called into police station about gut feeling as he was about to pay out several £k. His contact details looked very genuine but the a in barclays bank was a slightly different text.

No-one in the audience spotted it from the slide. That was a spoof e mail. Something very slight is changed and you can lose your money. He said very much also to trust the gut if something does not feel right

avon and somerset police have 3 full time people dealing with scams. Dorset and Devon have none none. Might be interesting to see where your police authority stands on this

I’d just say that an awful lot more MC children now attend state schools, than a few decades ago. Fees have risen a lot, relative to incomes, so coupled with crazy house prices, independent schools have become much more an option for the very well off.

Our dds went to a very academic independent senior school, but very few of their old school friends are sending their dcs to independents. Of those who are, several are having help from grandparents.

FWIW, if I had to choose again, I don’t think I’d have sent dds to the independent senior school. There was a very good state senior they could have gone to, but the independent was outstanding academically and very over-subscribed, so when they passed the entrance exam plus interview, we thought we were doing our best for them.