Rochdale residents are being warned about a winter fuel payments scam that is so convincing, several locals have reported feeling grateful for the level of communication.
The scam arrives via text message, politely informing recipients that they haven’t applied for their “Winter Heating Allowance 2025-2026” and urging them to click a link to claim £300. While the criminals’ aim is to steal bank details, some pensioners have remarked that the fraudsters at least respond to messages within the same decade, something actual energy companies have yet to master.
“I nearly gave them my sort code out of respect,” admitted 74-year-old Beryl from Milnrow. “British Gas won’t answer my calls, but these lads texted me twice in an afternoon. That’s service.”
The message, riddled with typos, claims that failure to apply before 30 July will make residents “ineligible for the stipend”. Officials have confirmed that anyone using the word “stipend” in Rochdale is either a scammer or an escaped history teacher.
Rochdale Council says residents should avoid clicking the link, no matter how much they enjoy the novelty of government departments contacting them without threatening to take them to court.
The National Anti Fraud Network has issued a simple rule: if a message sounds urgent, mentions money, and contains instructions about reopening Safari on your phone, it’s not the DWP, it’s Karl in his mum’s back bedroom in Warrington.
Police advise binning the message, then making yourself a brew to recover from the shock of anyone offering you £300 in Rochdale without asking you to “pop round the back” first.
