Scammers are posing as Ofgem to scam people worried about affording their energy bills as the cost of living crisis worsens.

Fraudsters are impersonating the energy regulator to duper people into handing over their personal and payment details.

Emails are being sent to people using the Ofgem logo and branding to offer an energy bill rebate scheme.

The email directs people to log on to a fake online portal, where victims are urged to share personal details to claim their refund.

Consumer group Which? is warning people to be wary of falling victim to the scam.

 

It said: “The deceptive emails inform you that you can 'get your rebate via the Ofgem portal' by clicking a link that takes you to a fake site.

“Capitalising on the government's cost of living energy measures, the email explains that you claim a £200 discount on energy bills this Autumn and a £500 Council Tax Rebate. It also claims that you have to apply before September.

“While this email appears to come from Ofgem, if you examine the sender's email you can see that the address has been spoofed.

“The link in the email directs you to a fake portal to harvest your details. The fake website - rebate-ofgem.com - prompted urgent warnings from the real Ofgem earlier this year.

“On arriving at the fake site, victims are confronted with a webform in order to 'set up a direct debit', which initially requests your full name, date of birth and email address.

“Anyone providing these details to the scam site is likely to find their card fraudulently debited and would also be at grave risk of their identity and online accounts being taken over.”

Which? and Ofgem have both reported the scam to the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC).

Cost of living support for energy bills

Government support is available to help people pay their energy bills.

Households will start receiving money off their energy bills from October, with the discount made in six instalments.

A discount of £66 will be applied to energy bills in October and November, rising to £67 each month from December through to March 2023.

Further Government support includes a £650 one-off cost-of-living payment for around eight million households on means-tested benefits.