Thousands of people alerted to bogus cost of living payments with key signs to look out for

Thousands of people seeking financial help to cope with the cost of living crisis are being warned to watch out for fake cash offers. The DWP has extended the Household Support Fund until the end of September, with £421m of new funding allocated to councils in England.

Birmingham City Council received £12.8 million, which is distributed through the Birmingham Voluntary Services Council (BVSC) in £200 payments called hardship grants to eligible individuals and families. To qualify, you must be experiencing financial hardship, especially to cover food and energy costs.

But there has been a warning about people being duped by fake offers of financial support. Council Cost of Living Payments of up to £550 are available in some areas, so it could be for any amount.

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The BVSC says in its guidance: “You don’t have to pay any fees to apply for a hardship grant. If any organization asks you for a fee to apply, please do not give them your personal details and contact the BVSC immediately to report them.”

Gateway Family Services in Birmingham shared similar information with potential applicants, saying: “This grant is free at the point of access, under no circumstances should you be required to pay a fee to apply for or receive a grant from Community Hardship Grants Fund. .”

For the Birmingham Support Payment, people must first register their interest by completing an online application form, answering questions aimed at determining eligibility for a grant payment. All applicants will be contacted by email regarding the outcome of their application and next steps.

Similar advice is likely to apply in other areas of the country as household support fund schemes are generally offered by councils for free with no upfront fees attached.

The BVSC further added a warning to the householders themselves in case of any attempts to cheat the system. It said: “Please be advised that each household is eligible to receive a single grant payment of £200 over a 12 month period. Any application received before your eligibility date will be rejected.

“The application system actively monitors submitted applications for signs of fraud and details of any attempts to make fraudulent applications and/or fraudulently receive grant funding will be reported to West Midlands Police.”

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