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The Department for Work and Pensions has issued a new Winter Fuel Payment warning about 'despicable' text scams that are circulating.

Fraudulent messages randomly arriving on thousands of mobile phones - even if the recipient does not fit any eligibility criteria for the heating allowance - invite people to apply by providing personal and financial details.

The DWP says there has been a surge in bogus texts ahead of the Winter Fuel Payment rollout beginning next month. New data revealed that reports of the scams rose by 153 per cent in the final week of September compared with the previous week.

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