Northumberland residents are being urged to be on their guard against scammers who are taking advantage of the cost-of-living crisis. 
 

There are an increasing number of sophisticated scams circulating at the moment, and residents are being urged to on their guard and to spread the word of caution to friends and elderly relatives. 

1 Energy Rebate Scam 

There have been increasing reports of scam emails and text messages claiming to be about energy rebates from Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for Great Britain. 

Given cost of living payments are due to be applied to energy bill accounts, criminals are sending texts, or emails claiming to be from Ofgem and requesting people to apply for their £400 rebate. Victims would do so by clicking on a link. 

The links in the emails lead to malicious websites designed to steal personal and financial information. 

All of the reported emails display the email subject header “Claim your bill rebate now” and the criminals behind the scam are using the Ofgem logo and colours to make the email appear authentic. 

The real rebate is being paid directly to energy suppliers by central government and can only be accessed as a reduction to your energy bills over a six-month period. 

2 Facebook Market Place scammers  

Car scammers operating on Facebook Market Place are offering vehicles at too-good-to-be-true prices. They then go on to pressure motorists to send deposit money to ‘hold the car’ before you buy. 

In some cases, the car will either not exist or not be legitimately for sale. After you’ve paid the holding fee, which could be up to £1,500, the ad disappears resulting in a loss of money. 

3 Royal Mail scams or delivery scams 

Some criminals are posing as delivery companies and requesting additional payment for delivery. If you are expecting a delivery, it is quite easy to fall for a seemingly innocent text message from Amazon or Royal Mail asking you to click on a link and pay an extra delivery charge. 

 

4. Food voucher scams gain access to personal information 

Circulating email vouchers from supermarket chains claim to be offering shoppers £45 off their next grocery shop. The email contains a link, directing to an official looking phishing website designed to steal log in credentials and purchase information. 

Criminals could then go on to make a purchase on a victim’s behalf using their private information. 

 

5 Bogus council tax rebates 

 

As households struggle with rising energy bills, fraudsters may see an opportunity to exploit those in need. Criminals have been reported to be calling people to obtain their bank details, claiming to be officials who need them to process council tax rebates. Scammers may also claim there is an issue with the person’s national insurance (NI) number or direct debit. 

 

6. Mobile phone provider discount scam 

Many O2 customers are receiving phone calls from scammers offering a massive discount on their phone bills. 

At the same time, the scammer visits the O2 sign in page, types in your phone number, and asks for a one-time code to access your account,  

Even before they finish their pitch, you receive a text message which is a legitimate O2 communication — a one-time code that customers can use to access their accounts if they forget their password, for example. 

 if you hand over the code, they can then access your details. 

 

Northumberland County Councillor, Colin Horncastle, Cabinet member for Public Protection said: 

“Amid the cost-of-living crisis, criminals are exploiting people's hardships, the elderly and the vulnerable to get their hands on their money. 

“Some of these scams are sophisticated and when your finances are thin, you want to believe them.   Remember your bank, or any other official source, will never ask you to supply personal information such as passwords, PIN numbers or personal information and bank account details. 

“Please be on your guard and do all you can not to fall for these con artists. Always take a moment to consider if the request you have received is genuine and if the offer seems too good to be true, it usually is. 

“If you have any doubts about a message, contact the organisation directly. Don’t use the numbers or address in the message – use the details from their official website. If your offer is valid, the customer service team at whichever business will be able to verify this or confirm if it is a scam.”