Energy prices have stretched households thin, and scammers can smell it. Women managing family bills are being targeted by slick texts and fake calls posing as suppliers or government schemes. It looks helpful. It looks urgent. It’s a trap.
“You’re owed an energy rebate. Complete your claim within 2 hours,” it read, with a tidy logo and a friendly blue button. The timing was cruel. She’d been hunting for savings for weeks, and this felt like a win waiting to happen.
By the time she reached for her bank card, she’d already told herself it was official. The page looked right. The clock ticked down. Twenty minutes later, £480 was gone. Then her phone buzzed again.
The new energy con hitting women where it hurts
Right now, scammers are impersonating suppliers, Ofgem, and even the government to push “rebate” or “bill support” links. The hooks are polished and relatable: missed meter readings, tariff changes, smart meter upgrades. Women who run the household admin see these first. It lands in the busiest hour of the day and feels eerily routine.
Action Fraud has logged thousands of energy-related phishing reports in the last year, and advice lines say the callers skew female, often juggling work, kids, and care. A London mum told me she clicked “verify account” between stirring pasta and answering homework. Another carer in Leeds said the message landed just as she was filing her dad’s prescriptions. We’ve all had that moment when your brain is full and your thumb moves on autopilot.
It isn’t that women are more trusting. It’s that scammers study habits. They send messages during school runs or lunch breaks, when responses spike. They mirror the exact language of suppliers and drop in realistic account numbers. They use urgency because urgency wins. *You don’t want to miss your rebate.* That’s the psychological play.
How to protect your bills in 60 seconds
Start with the non-click rule: never tap a link in a message about your energy account. Type the supplier’s web address yourself or use the official app. If it’s about a refund, log in directly and look for a notification in your account. If nothing shows, it’s noise. That single change blocks most attacks.
Next, split the panic from the task. Take a screenshot, then put your phone down for two minutes. Call the supplier using the number on your last bill or their verified website. Ask them to confirm. Let’s be honest: nobody does this every day. And yet those two minutes are where the scam falls apart.
Train your eye for tells. Real suppliers don’t ask for full card details by text. Ofgem doesn’t contact customers about money. Odd domains, countdown timers, wording like “final warning” — those are bright red flags. **If a message demands urgent payment or card info, it’s not your supplier.**
“We see peaks at lunchtime and around 6pm,” says a fraud analyst at a major UK bank. “Messages look like they’re from Ofgem or a household-name supplier. The best defence is slow thinking, even for 30 seconds.”
- Red flag checklist: urgency, links, payment request, unfamiliar sender ID, spelling slips, non .gov.uk or official domain.
- Safer path: go direct to your account, use the app, call the number on your bill, report the message to 7726.
- Backstop: enable bank alerts, set transaction limits, and keep a separate “online-only” card with a low balance.
What’s really going on — and how to stay one step ahead
Scammers ride the headlines. When bills jump, they push “support fund” texts. When tariffs change, they send “fix now” prompts. When direct debits reset, they ask to “reconfirm details”. They choreograph the fear already in the room and make it feel solvable with one click. **That’s why perfectly smart people get caught.**
There’s another layer. In many homes, women still handle the budgeting, the switchovers, the meter photos. The scammer leans into that responsibility. A message that says “your discount expires today” feels like a task about to slip. It’s not a personality flaw. It’s a load-bearing point in daily life.
So build micro-habits. Create a “money hour” once a week to check bills and meter reads inside official portals. Save supplier numbers to your phone so you can call fast without hunting. Keep a simple rule on the fridge: “No links. No rush. Log in direct.” **Slow is safe.**
There’s a soft truth that lingers here: scams often succeed in the gaps between good intentions and tired brains. Women handling the admin are absorbing risk that should never be theirs. Sharing screenshots in a family group chat helps. Talking openly with older relatives helps. A gentle “forward this to me first” can block a bad click.
Money stress makes all of us faster with our thumbs and fuzzier in our thinking. And scammers are getting very good at dressing up as the helpers we expect. The fix isn’t perfection. It’s a few tiny, boring steps that you repeat when your day is messy.
If a message about energy or rebates lands today, try this: read it once, breathe, then leave it alone. Open your supplier’s app or website and check from the inside. If something’s real, it will be waiting there. If it’s not, you’ve just dodged a hit no one needs.
| Key points | Detail | Reader Interest |
|---|---|---|
| Scammers impersonate suppliers and Ofgem | Texts and emails promise rebates, tariff fixes, or “account verification” | Explains why messages look so convincing |
| Women are being targeted at peak busy times | Messages land during school runs, lunch, early evening to provoke quick taps | Reflects real-life routines and vulnerabilities |
| Simple routines beat most scams | No link-tapping, log in direct, call numbers from your bill, report to 7726 | Actionable steps that reduce risk instantly |
FAQ :
- What does a fake energy rebate text look like?It often uses a supplier logo, a short urgent line, and a link to a lookalike site asking for card details or refunds “within hours”.
- Can Ofgem contact me about a refund?No. Ofgem regulates the market and doesn’t handle customer refunds or direct payments. Treat any “Ofgem” message about money as a scam.
- What’s the fastest way to check if it’s real?Ignore the link. Open your supplier’s app or type the official address. If there’s no in-account alert, it’s not real.
- I clicked and entered details — what now?Call your bank’s fraud line immediately, freeze the card, change your supplier login, and report the message to 7726 and Action Fraud.
- Why are women being hit so hard?Many women manage day-to-day bills and admin, which scammers time and target. It’s about exposure and timing, not capability.
