British Gas scam: warning to customers over fake email offering energy bill ‘refund’ worth hundreds

Scammers are posing as British Gas and claiming to offer a fake energy bill refund
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A scam email claiming to be from British Gas is circulating in a bid to trick recipients into handing over their bank details.

Scammers are posing as the energy giant and targeting the most vulnerable by stating they have overpaid on their energy bills from 2020 to 2011 and are owed a refund worth hundreds of pounds.

British Gas has urged customers not to click any links in an email if you are in doubt about who it is from (Photo: Adobe)British Gas has urged customers not to click any links in an email if you are in doubt about who it is from (Photo: Adobe)
British Gas has urged customers not to click any links in an email if you are in doubt about who it is from (Photo: Adobe)
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The fake email states that recipients are owed £315 from British Gas and urges them to follow a fraudulent link to claim the cash.

The email features official British Gas watermarks, a reference number and company branding to appear authentic.

The message reads: “British Gas wants to inform you that you are eligible for a payment refund. Our records indicates that you have paid more than you should have for your British Gas service from 2020 - 2021.

"Because of this reason and that we value our clients we have decided to refund the total amount which you have overpaid."

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It then lists the refund amount as £315 and includes a link which reads ‘Claim your refund now!’.

‘Don’t click any links’

British Gas has urged customers not to click any links in an email if you are in doubt about who it is from. Instead, attach it to a new email and send it to [email protected] and then delete it straight away.

If you are a British Gas Business customer and have received a suspicious email, you should visit the UKB online-security web page.

The company said customers can tell if the email is genuine comes from one of the following internal email addresses: @britishgas.co.uk, @cd.britishgas.co.uk, @q.britishgas.co.uk, @mail.britishgas.co.uk, @mail.energy.britishgas.co.uk, @centrica.co.uk, @energy.britishgas.co.uk

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British Gas also sends emails from the following third party domains for a few different reasons:

  • Appointment confirmations: @contactengine.email
  • Rewards programme: @bgrewards.co.uk, @myglobaloptions.com, 
  • homecarebgcard.co.uk
  • Research projects: @britishgas.flexmr.email and @kpmg-nunwood.co.uk
  • Energy debt team: @e-mail.britishgas.co.uk

The company said: “If we email you about your account, we’ll include your customer reference number in the email.

“We’ll rarely ask you to update or confirm your personal details. But we may ask for some information when you enter any competitions with us.

“We’ll never ask you to reply directly to our email. But if you do, you’ll get an auto-response with helpful solutions on our website

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“Aside from our welcome email which will include your contract or agreement, we don’t add attachments to our emails

“We’ll only link back to the britishgas.co.uk website – but it’s best not to click on any links if you’re in any doubt.”

Warning over ‘significant’ rise in energy scams

The British Gas scam comes as the Chartered Trading Standards Institute (CTSI) warned that increasingly vulnerable householders are facing a “significant” increase in energy scams as the cost-of-living crisis takes hold.

The CTSI said it has seen a rise in scams such as fraudulent energy rebate text messages, rogue doorstep sellers and loan sharks preying on the vulnerable.

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Some texts or emails ask the recipient to click on a link that takes them to an “official” booking platform where they are asked to submit personal information, but which is a ruse to harvest data and often used to scam the person at a later date.

The CTSI said it also expected scammers to target households in the coming weeks regarding the £150 disability cost of living payment. Households do not need to apply for the rebate as suppliers are automatically applying it to bills for six months from October.

Households have been urged to ignore any messages and only deal directly with their energy company using their published phone numbers and email addresses.

CTSI lead officer for scams and doorstep crime, Katherine Hart, said: “There has been a huge surge in energy efficiency scams offering rebates and offers to apply for grants.

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“With the rise of costs in fuel bills and the cost-of-living concerns during the upcoming winter months, I urge the public to be on its guard because these types of emails and texts are attempts to scam.

“Sadly, we have noticed an increase in people whose savings have been compromised.”

Consumers can contact the Citizens Advice Consumer Helpline on 0808 223 1133 for advice or Action Fraud to report scams.

Consumers should report concerning texts to 7726 and emails to [email protected] and delete the message.

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