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Is this a scam message making out it is from UK Gov?

SirFreddy
SirFreddy Posts: 41 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
I had a message on my Android today aboiut being eligible for £200-£300 winter fuel payment.
They ask to click on the link by tomorrow to confirm, am I right in being suspicious of this message?
If it is a scam it is best that as many elderly people know about it as possible.
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Comments

  • Uriziel
    Uriziel Posts: 189 Forumite
    Sixth Anniversary 100 Posts Name Dropper
    This is very clearly a scam message. If you were eligible they would simply pay it out without you needing to do anything.
  • Spoonie_Turtle
    Spoonie_Turtle Posts: 10,503 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Sixth Anniversary Name Dropper
    Oh great, they're now including gov.uk in the URL to be even more confusing.

    Yes definitely a scam, you did the right thing asking.
  • glennevis
    glennevis Posts: 749 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary 500 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 6 October at 7:12AM
    Oh great, they're now including gov.uk in the URL to be even more confusing.

    Yes definitely a scam, you did the right thing asking.
    It's no surprise that. scammers are embedding gov.uk in the URLs.

    Warnings about how to recognise a valid domain or URL usually fail to state that a valid domain name ENDS IN .gov.uk .
  • debitcardmayhem
    debitcardmayhem Posts: 13,075 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Name Dropper Photogenic
    Never click on links in messages texts emails etc etc
    4.8kWp 12x400W Longhi 9.6 kWh battery Giv-hy 5.0 Inverter, WSW facing Essex . Aint no sunshine ☀️ Octopus gas fixed dec 24 @ 5.74 tracker again+ Octopus Intelligent Flux leccy
  • soolin
    soolin Posts: 74,395 Ambassador
    Part of the Furniture 10,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    edited 6 October at 8:59AM
    SirFreddy said:
    I had a message on my Android today aboiut being eligible for £200-£300 winter fuel payment.
    They ask to click on the link by tomorrow to confirm, am I right in being suspicious of this message?
    If it is a scam it is best that as many elderly people know about it as possible.
    I think the issue is that whilst there are plenty of warnings all over social media a few older people don't use social media and therefore don't get warned. There has been a mention in one newspaper that i saw , but I don't think there has been a widespread warning.

    However this is a fairly obvious scam message and hopefully if it does reach older people they are wise enough to spot it for what it is. It isn't 100% targeted, I have had the message twice now and am not quite old enough for the winter fuel payment anyway- and am aware that I wouldn't be eligible to claim. 

    EDIT actually doing a google search it looks like there have been several mainstream warnings about this both in the press and on TV programmes. 

    This one for instance is nearly a year old 
    Winter Payment "Phishing" scams
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  • XzavierWalnut
    XzavierWalnut Posts: 196 Forumite
    100 Posts Second Anniversary Photogenic
    I received similar, and I am only 62 and not eligible.
  • SirFreddy
    SirFreddy Posts: 41 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 10 Posts Combo Breaker
    Thanks all for the replies, I was 100% sure it was a scam but with the gov.uk bit I wanted as many MSE board members to be aware just in case there is one moment in time when we are caught off guard.
  • squirrelpie
    squirrelpie Posts: 1,465 Forumite
    Eighth Anniversary 1,000 Posts Name Dropper
    soolin said:
    This one for instance is nearly a year old 
    Winter Payment "Phishing" scams
    That seems like a strange link. Using a fairly well-known national domain to which they have access to pass people to a much less well known domain of their own. It immediately invites suspicion in me, but does appear genuine. Strange choice by whoever though!
  • Spoonie_Turtle
    Spoonie_Turtle Posts: 10,503 Forumite
    10,000 Posts Sixth Anniversary Name Dropper
    glennevis said:
    Oh great, they're now including gov.uk in the URL to be even more confusing.

    Yes definitely a scam, you did the right thing asking.
    It's no surprise that. scammers are embedding gov.uk in the URLs.

    Warnings about how to recognise a valid domain or URL usually fail to state that a valid domain name ENDS IN .gov.uk .
    Probably because the people most in need of warning don't know what a domain name is and aren't familiar with the constituent parts of a URL, so aren't able themselves to work out what bit of a URL should and shouldn't be gov.uk to be legit.  (Which, yes, is exactly why the scammers have done this, of course.)
  • Ectophile
    Ectophile Posts: 8,081 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Photogenic Name Dropper
    Never click on links in messages texts emails etc etc
    These days, my doctors surgery sends me texts to tell me I'm due an appointment.  If I don't click on their link, I'm not going to get my check up.

    If it sticks, force it.
    If it breaks, well it wasn't working right anyway.
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