DWP issues urgent warning to anyone on State Pension and PIP | Personal Finance | Finance

Millions of people in the UK who receive benefits have been issued an urgent warning by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP). According to the Government body, those who receive support such as State Pension (a contributory benefit), Universal Credit, Personal Independence Payment (PIP), Attendance Allowance or Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA), could be vulnerable to a specific type of scam.

The DWP urged people to be on the lookout for text messages from criminals trying to steal their “personal or financial details”.

In a post shared on X and Facebook, the DWP clarified: “Be aware of scam text messages claiming to be from @dwpgovuk.

“Always be careful about links and never share personal or financial details, only engage with trusted official sources.”

It then advised anyone who receives a suspicious text message to report it on GOV.UK – by searching “avoid and report internet scams and phishing”.

As reported by the Daily Record, it is believed online criminals may be trying to capitalise on the ongoing cost of living crisis and the run-up to the festive period by pretending to be official government bodies. These are known as ‘impersonation scams’.

This comes as people have previously seen scam text messages about “unclaimed cost of living payments” and the Warm Home Discount.

These messages typically include direct links to make a claim, which is something the DWP would never do.

If you receive a text and you’re not sure if it is genuinely from a DWP department, the safest way to check is to call them and ask.

This new scam text message warning from the DWP follows after another warning issued in October to people using its online services at GOV.UK.

DWP reminded new and existing claimants that it “does not publish any applications for download to your mobile devices or PCs” in an effort to stop people being tricked into divulging their personal and financial information to online scammers.