HOUSEHOLDS have been warned about cost of living scams from fake energy rebates to bogus petrol discounts by major banks.

Crooks are preying on hard-up families by impersonating energy companies as well as local councils in a bid to steal cash.

Fraudsters are sending emails and texts telling households they can get money off their energy bills, fuel vouchers and free cash for food.

They are exploiting the financial pressure on people as bills spiral under a cost of living crisis.

Fraud prevention service Cifas reports it has seen a rise in these phishing emails, which collect your personal and financial information.

Once you share this kind of information, you are at risk of having your identity and online accounts taken over – and your money stolen from you.

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There are a number of scams households are being warned about.

Crooks are pretending to be energy companies, sending emails telling people they have overpaid on their energy bills between 2020 to 2021, the Daily Mail reports.

The email then directs people to click through and fill out a form with their financial information.

While consumer website Which? warned households of scam Ofgem emails, telling them that they are eligible for help via an "energy rebate scheme".

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Victims are told to share personal and payment details in order to claim their refund.

Another scam involves crooks ringing households up telling them they are eligible for the Household Support Fund.

This is a £1.5billion pot of cash divvied out to councils by central government, which is then given out to residents in need in those local areas.

Fraudsters are reportedly calling households up claiming they are eligible for the help, asking for their bank details to process the application.

Households are also being warned about bogus fuel discounts by Which?.

Scam Facebook adverts are telling drivers they can sign up for a BP fuel card to get 200 litres of fuel for just £1.78.

You are then directed to an online survey to fill out, which involves sharing personal details.

How to spot the signs of a scam

There are certain red flags you should look out for when spotting the signs of a scam.

Major banking giants have been warning customers about how to spot the signs of these major cons – and to remain vigiliant.

An FCA spokesperson said: "Some of the warning signs include unexpected contact, being asked to pay upfront fees, an urgency to pay quickly or in an unusual way and claiming to be regulated when they are not."

Santander UK head of fraud risk management Chris Ainsley said people should be "suspicious of offers and services that claim to provide household bill rebates or discounted products for sale".

He added: "Always verify if a service or offer is genuine, and think carefully and get advice before making a payment."

HSBC senior fraud strategy manager Matthew Farrar told the Daily Mail: "We urge customers to be suspicious of any 'too good to be true' offers or prices, and wary of requests to pay by bank transfer only."

If you receive an email, text or call from a company, verify it’s genuine by phoning the company back on a known and trusted number.

Any bank, trusted organisation or public bodies like councils or the police would will never ask you to withdraw, transfer or send back money from your account.

What to do if you've been scammed

Call your bank immediately using the number on the back of your card.

Tell Action Fraud, report it online or by calling 0300 123 2040 (Monday to Friday, 8am-8pm).

It will tell the police and give you a crime reference number.

Some banks offer automatic refunds – but it does vary.

Current rules say if you have not authorised the payment then you should get a refund as long as you did not act fraudulently or with “gross negligence”, for example, giving away your PIN number or password.

In 2019 some banks, including Barclays, Santander and HSBC, signed a voluntary scam code launched in 2019.

TSB has a fraud refund guarantee in place where it will refund you as long as you are clearly an innocent victim of a con.

Using a credit card when shopping online gives you more protection as you are covered under the Consumer Credit Act, which says you are entitled to a refund if items are not delivered or are not as described.

You can complain to the Financial Ombudsman Service if you are not happy with how your complaint was dealt with.

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