Police issue scam warning as energy bills set to rise

Police have issued a warning to stay alert ahead of the upcoming energy price cap hike. The regulator Ofgem has confirmed household energy bills will rise once again in the new year.

A 1.2 per cent increase to the cap will be added on January 1, 2025. With bills set to rise, Greater Manchester Police is warning people to watch out for scammers who are looking to benefit from the price hike.

Officers in Wigan are warning that when news of energy price increases hits the headlines, scammers usually begin to target vulnerable residents. It's a situation that proved to be the case this morning (November 22), when an officer from the Wigan West neighbourhood team was sent a 'phishing' message.

READ MORE: A tiny coat left in the snow as Salford community pays tribute to tragic Baby A

The text claimed to be from the 'city hall' and asked for the recipients' details to receive a '2024 winter heating allowance'. The scammer put pressure on the recipient by asking for their details by tomorrow, while the message also included a suspicious looking link.

GMP shared a screenshot of the message (below) as it urged people to look out for similar scams. A GMP Wigan spokesman wrote: "It's no coincidence that when the news is full of articles regarding energy prices, as it is today that we also begin to see an increase in fraudulent scams aiming to once again target the most vulnerable in society.

"This one that appeared in my inbox this morning is an example of a typical 'phishing' scam. They can usually be identified by the poor style of English language used and the threats of losing out of you don't act quickly.

"Please look after your elderly neighbours and family and make them aware that these are in circulation." For more information about scams see the Action Fraud website.