My father received this scam text message today. He's young and very clued in so spotted it immediately for what it was but I can see how easy it would be to fall for it. Please inform your friends or relatives as well, even if you don't think they'd fall for it. Awareness is key!
I've taken a screenshot of it but until the photo comes through, the message is from a +63 number (which is the Philippines) and says:
"Department for Work and Pensions (DWP): Our records indicate that you have either not submitted an application for the 2024–2025 Winter Heating Allowance, or the information previously provided was incomplete or incorrect.
To ensure you receive the £300 payment, please complete your application no later than 30 July 2025. Failure to apply by the deadline will result in the loss of eligibility for this allowance.
To complete your application, please visit the following link:
(I've deleted the link)
To activate the link, please reply with Y, then close and reopen the message — or copy and paste the link into your browser manually.
A quick google helped me find this Guardian article from a couple of days ago about the same issue: https://www.theguardian.com/money/2025/jul/27/scam-watch-winter-fuel-allowance-u-turn-news-scammers#:~:text=What%20the%20scam%20looks%20like,for%20a%20%C2%A3300%20payment.