The Cold Weather Payment scheme restarted on November 1, and so have the scam messages.
Councils including Nottinghamshire and Dorset have warned residents about fake texts, emails and calls offering help with winter heating costs. They often look official, use the right logos and sound urgent. Here’s how to tell the real payment from a fake, and what to do if one lands on your phone.
How the real Cold Weather Payment works
- It’s £25 for each seven-day period when the average temperature in your area is, or is forecast to be, 0°C or below.
- It runs from November 1, 2026, to March 31, 2027, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
- You usually qualify if you get Pension Credit, or certain other benefits such as Universal Credit with a child under 5 or a health condition.
- It’s paid automatically, within 14 working days, into the same account as your benefits.
The most important point: you never have to apply, click a link, pay a fee or give your bank details to get it.
Warning signs of a scam
- a message asking you to apply, activate or “release” a payment
- deadlines or threats, like “apply today or lose your payment” or “last chance”
- requests for your PIN, a one-time passcode, card details or to move money to a “safe account”
- asking you to install an app or let someone access your phone or computer remotely
- an offer to speed up a payment for a fee
Don’t be fooled by good spelling, official-looking logos or a confident voice. Scammers now use AI tools that can make messages, websites and even voices sound very convincing.
The stakes are real. Research by Kaspersky puts the average loss to a message-based scam at around £458.
If you get a suspicious message
- Don’t reply and don’t click any links.
- Forward scam texts for free to 7726. Your mobile provider uses it to block them.
- Forward scam emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
- If someone calls claiming to be your bank, hang up and dial 159, or the number on the back of your card. On a landline, use a different phone or wait a few minutes first, so the scammer isn’t still on the line.
If you think you’ve already been caught out
- Call your bank straight away using a number you trust. The faster you act, the better the chance of stopping or recovering a payment.
- Change any passwords you shared.
- Report it to Action Fraud, or Police Scotland if you’re in Scotland.
Worried a real payment hasn’t arrived?
Check whether your area has had a cold spell using the official postcode checker on GOV.UK. If it has and you think you’re owed money:
- Universal Credit: leave a note in your online journal
- Pension Credit or other benefits: contact the Pension Service or Jobcentre Plus using the numbers on GOV.UK
If an older relative or neighbour gets lots of messages, take a minute to talk this through with them. It could save them hundreds of pounds.
Sources: Brit Brief (October 29, 2026), GOV.UK, Cold Weather Payment and GOV.UK, when you’ll get paid.
Maria is a dedicated news writer covering the latest UK updates on DWP, PIP, State Pension Triple Lock, Child Benefit, Universal Credit, and driving licence regulations. She focuses on explaining government announcements, benefit eligibility, payment changes, pension increases, and new regulations in a clear and easy-to-understand way.