Consumers are being warned of a scam that promises refunds of hundreds of pounds on gas bills if they send copies of documents that could be used to steal their identity. The bogus offer of a refund comes in an email purporting to be from British Gas. One email headed “refund notification” said the recipient was due a refund of £722.80, but would need to fax copies of a passport or driving licence in order to receive it. It said:
Please fax the following 2 documents in order to have us process your request ... a legible, colour digital photograph or scan of both sides of your government-issued ID (eg driver’s permit or passport).”
It also asked for the customer’s name and full address and gave a fax number with a Bristol dialling code. The email included a British Gas logo and gave the sender’s address as “info@britishgas.co.uk”.
The energy company advised anyone who received the email not to do as it asked.
“After the last annual calculation of your gas and electricity activity, we have determined that you are eligible to receive a refund of 732.80 GBP. Please submit the refund request and allow us 5-7 days in order to process it.
Please fax the following 2 documents in order to have us process your request ... a legible, colour digital photograph or scan of both sides of your government-issued ID (eg driver’s permit or passport).”
It also asked for the customer’s name and full address and gave a fax number with a Bristol dialling code. The email included a British Gas logo and gave the sender’s address as “info@britishgas.co.uk”.
The energy company advised anyone who received the email not to do as it asked.
No comments:
Post a Comment