Overview

• HMRC logged 15,100 reports of bogus winter fuel payment activity in June, with fraudsters targeting pensioners via texts and phishing sites.
• The agency removed 4,600 counterfeit websites linked to the benefit and emphasises it will never request personal information by text.
• Kelly Paterson, HMRC’s chief security officer, urges pensioners not to click unsolicited links or share data and to report suspicious calls, texts or emails.
• Following a June policy reversal by Chancellor Rachel Reeves, nine million pensioners earning up to £35,000 will receive automatic payments this winter.
• Recipients with annual incomes above £35,000 will have payments recovered through PAYE or self-assessment, depending on their tax status.