With the cost of living continuing to stretch household budgets, a worrying trend of rent scams is unfortunately targeting people worried about money.
It is important to be aware of anything that seems suspicious when contacted by a third party about your rent, or any other bills.
You can find more information below on what to look out for, and what to do if you are worried about your financial situation.
Looking out for rent or direct debit scams
Whilst there are different tactics scammers may use, scams will usually involve third parties asking for your bank details in order to reclaim money you have paid towards your rent or other bills by direct debit. You may be contacted through social media, or potentially by phone or email.
The scammers will ask your bank to recover the direct debit money saying it has been paid in error and will take a large sum of the refund as payment for their services.
Reclaiming direct debits in this way is illegal, and the money refunded will need to be paid back in full. With the fee taken by the scammer, this can mean those scammed will lose money.
In some cases, whilst the person scammed may not have knowingly been involved, they could be open to prosecution for fraud.
Find out more about direct debit refund scams.
If you are contacted by any third party, or anyone you are suspicious of, the safest thing you can do is to get in touch with us to check if the offer you are receiving is legitimate or safe. If the offer sounds too good to be true, there is a good chance it is. You can also report to Action Fraud if you think you have been the victim of a scam.
What to do if you are concerned about your financial situation
If you are worried about paying your rent or any other bills, one of the first things you should do is get in touch to let us know, so we can help you with your situation. Find your income officer.
There is also a range of information on the cost of living section of our website. This includes government support, such as the Warm Home Discount, as well as support from other charities and organisations. Westcountry Savings and Loans are a good example of where you can get help, as they can offer ethical and affordable loans for LiveWest customers.