Newham Council trading standards team is backing the warnings given to Newham residents about malicious fraudsters claiming to be offering energy rebates.
Action Fraud is the UK’s national reporting centre for fraud and cyber crime and is warning the public about a sharp rise in reports relating to fake emails purporting to be from Ofgem, the independent energy regulator for Great Britain. The emails claim that the recipient is due a rebate payment as part of a government scheme and provides links for the recipient to follow in order to apply for the rebate. The links in the emails lead to malicious websites designed to steal personal and financial information.
Between Monday 22nd August 2022 and Monday 5th September 2022, a total of 1,567 phishing emails related to this scam have been reported via the Suspicious Email Reporting Service (SERS).
All the emails display the email subject header “Claim your bill rebate now”. Offenders are using the Ofgem brand logo and colours to make the emails look as authentic as possible. However, the emails ask recipients to “apply for an energy bill rebate before September 2020”, which is what prompted many recipients to realise the emails weren’t genuine.
Councillor Carleene Lee Phakoe, Cabinet Member for Crime & Community Safety said: “Unfortunately, scams and fraud seem to have become part of our daily lives. As a result, they can affect anyone and cause considerable harm. Scammers continue to exploit vulnerabilities within our communities, and these often increase during times of crisis. The current energy rebate scam appears to be no exception."
We must continue to equip residents and businesses with the skills and knowledge to recognise scams. Residents and businesses of Newham must continue to remain alert and protect themselves and others from scams. Newham Trading Standards recently provided general advice to 150 local businesses regarding scams to support National Scams fortnight. In addition, Newham Trading Standards has pushed for wider publicity, press releases, and social media communications to assist residents.
We must all support the work of Action Fraud, Citizens Advice, Trading Standards, the Metropolitan Police, and other partner agencies who are working tirelessly to reduce consumer detriment within our community”.
You can view examples of the fake emails in our social media posts on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.
How you can protect yourself and others?
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. Remember, your bank (or any other official source) will never ask you to supply personal information via email.
If you have received an email which you’re not quite sure about, forward it to report@phishing.gov.uk. Send us emails that feel suspicious, even if you're not certain they're a scam - we can check.
Alternatively, if you wish to report a fraud, scam, or cybercrime you can contact Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040.
For advice on how to stay secure online, please visit: www.cyberaware.gov.uk