Scammers ‘exploiting cost of living crisis to steal money and information’

Texts and emails claim to offer government schemes for discounted energy bills and tax refunds

Frauds impersonating the government, Ofgem, HMRC and others have been taken down (PA)

Scammers are exploiting people’s concerns over the cost of living crisis to steal money and personal information, officials have warned.

The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), which is part of intelligence agency GCHQ, revealed that some of the most common scams taken down in 2022 included phishing emails and messages from groups impersonating the government, HMRC and the energy regulator Ofgem.

One text claimed to be a government notification for people “eligible for a discounted energy bill” under a non-existent official scheme, including a link to another bogus website designed to fool people into handing over personal information, including their address.