State pensioners urged to 'ignore' text message costing them £300 each

State pensioners have been warned to ignore a "malicious" text scam after the £300 Winter Fuel Payment axe from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). State pensioners have been hit with an urgent warning over a fraudulent message.

A text message aims to lure people to a fake winter heating subsidy website to steal personal details. The fraudulent message claims to be from the "UK Government Living Allowance Office" and lures recipients with promises of a winter heating subsidy.

One victim reported receiving the following message: “UK Government Living Allowance Office Last Time Reminder: Due to the reduction of winter heating subsidy, you can no longer receive it, and the UK government has decided to advance the living subsidy to allow you to survive the winter.

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“We will reopen applications. Please apply for your living subsidy in the link as soon as possible after receiving the information.” Reports of this scam were flagged by Phonely's “Who Called Me?” platform, a community-driven tool that helps users report and share suspicious numbers.

Bryn Thompson, a representative at Phonely, warned: "We urge people to exercise extreme caution when receiving unsolicited messages, especially those claiming to be from Government bodies. Scammers often create a false sense of urgency to trick individuals into providing personal information or clicking on malicious links. It’s important to verify the legitimacy of these messages and never act hastily."

The government warns state pensioners to be wary of any messages which rush you to act immediately or are threatening in tone. Other messages to be wary of include if they are unexpected or unsolicited, or if they ask for personal information, such as bank details.

Others to watch out for include any messages which ask you to transfer money or messages which offer a refund, tax rebate, or grant unexpectedly.