As energy bills soar, many people will be expecting to receive correspondence from their energy provider. However, scammers are also on the prowl, capitalising on this knowledge to put money in their own pockets.
One such scam involves Britons being sent an email, telling them about a supposed refund they are due, allegedly from British Gas.
It informs the individual they have overpaid in the last financial year, and are due money back from the company.
It states: “Because of this reason and that we value our clients, we have decided to refund the total amount which you have overpaid.”
Scam emails can cite different amounts, but a common figure which has been spotted is £315.
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Scam emails do not tend to address a person by name, and may instead reference their email which is a major red flag.
Similarly, scam emails are often littered with spelling or grammar mistakes which can point towards a lack of legitimacy.
Britons should also check the email address the correspondence comes from, as this will be fake if it is a scam.
Most importantly, if a person wants to check if a British Gas email is genuine, they should call the company on a number they trust, rather than one from the message they have received.
British Gas states any scam emails can be forwarded to phishing@centrica.com.
Robert Endeacott was just one person who sounded the alarm on a scam purporting to be from a legitimate company
On Twitter, he said: “Just had a scam email claiming to be from British Gas.
“Made me smile though, looking at their alleged website of BritishGaz.”
While Louise Cook said: “Scam alert! I’m getting very realistic British Gas emails that are not from British Gas.
“Do not click on links in emails!”
Lloyds Bank urges its customers to contact them “right away” if they clicked on the link and made a payment, or shared their banking details.
