Many Nottinghamshire residents have reported receiving scam text messages claiming to relate to the Winter Heating Allowance and Cost of Living Support.

The messages advise recipients that they are eligible for a winter heating allowance and must take prompt action to avoid missing out, by clicking on a link to apply.

However, clicking on the link from a mobile device takes potential victims to a phishing site that poses as an official Gov.uk webpage, asking for personal information and bank details.

Nottinghamshire Trading Standards Officers are advising residents that the Winter Fuel Payment is applied automatically - eligible individuals will receive a letter from the government telling them they are in line for a payout, and no action is required by the recipient.

If you get a suspicious text message, you can forward it to the number 7726 – this will allow your provider to track the origin of the text and arrange to block or ban the sender if it's a scam. You can also report scam text messages to report@phishing.gov.uk by providing a screenshot of the text message.

If you have received a scam message and made a payment, contact your bank as soon as possible to cancel the payment.