Exclusive:'I have been targeted by Warm Home Discount scammers', says Labour energy minister

Energy minister Martin McCluskey said he had received a text telling him he was eligible for the Warm Home Discount and urging him to click a link.

It came as the UK Government issued a warning about fraudsters asking consumers for their bank details to provide the £150 energy bills rebate.

Mr McCluskey told The Scotsman: “There have been lots of reports of people receiving messages, texts, etc, that have encouraged them to click a link or to take action to try and claim the more home discount.

“I actually even got one of them trying to suggest I would be eligible for the Warm Home Discount. There's a lot of these gone going round.

“But it's really just a reminder to people that there's no need to click on a link, there's no need to text anyone back, there's no need to call, because what the government has done this year is made sure that everyone who's eligible is receiving a letter from us telling them that they are eligible.

“So the way to make sure that you get the warm home discount this winter is to look out for that letter and to make sure that you actually you know that you open it up.”

When asked what text message he had received, he said: “It just said you might be eligible for the Warm Home Discount.

“And then it had a link , which obviously I didn’t click.”

He continued: “We know that scammers are getting more and more sophisticated in the way that they do things.

“I would say about the one that I got, it wasn’t very sophisticated and it looked quite obviously to be a scam.

“But older and more vulnerable consumers, they might look at that, having heard that the Warm Home Discount is being expanded to six million households, they might see that and think they have to do that to get the Warm Home Discount.”

Roughly half a million households in Scotland are eligible for the benefit this winter - an increase of 270,000 from last year.

In cash terms, this is about £92 million for Scotland.

In Scotland households claiming Pension Credit will be eligible. Those in the Warm Home Discount Broader Group, including low-income and vulnerable households, must apply directly to their supplier.

For the vast majority of recipients, £150 will be automatically deducted off their energy bill.

Some households will need to provide extra information to ensure they get the discount, with letters advising them to call the helpline provided.

Mr McCluskey said people in his Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West seat had been targeted: “Like all these scams, it's so difficult to tell exactly how expensive it is.

“But even just thinking about my own constituents who I have spoken to about the Warm Home Discount, there have been a fair number who have told me that they received a text like this. It appears to be pretty extensive.”

Admitted that energy bills are “going to be a key issue” for next year’s Holyrood election.

Mr McCluskey said: “It’s a key issue now, not just waiting for the election to come round.

“It’s understandable that it’s a key issue because costing and energy are right up there with the public’s priorities.”