Universal Credit claimants and other people who receive money from the Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) have been warned after a wave of benefit scams.
Record numbers of people apply for benefits including UC, Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and others.
And with this, more scammers are looking for ways to rip people off.
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Action Fraud, which keeps an eye out for malicious scams, said there are “fresh” schemes circulating and that it’s receiving reports of email and texts from fraudsters claiming to be from the DWP.
Most of the scams relate to Universal Credit, though others involve claims of council tax refunds or help with payment for rising energy bills.
According to MoneyHelper, people have been approached in the street by smartly dressed people claiming to be from Jobcentre Plus. Others are being contacted online via social media groups, direct messages and adverts.
Some people have been messaged online by someone saying they have a friend who works at a Jobcentre, who will be able to process or approve the application on your behalf. In most cases, scammers offer to apply for Universal Credit advance payments but will take some of the money – 40 per cent or more – as a fee.
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But there are ways to make sure your cash is protected from hackers and scammers,…
