Since the U-turn on Winter Fuel Payment eligibility was announced, many people have reported receiving texts about it seemingly from the government. It may ask to complete a form, confirm your details or take urgent action in order to receive £300 from the change.

However, none of it is true. Rip Off Britain’s Gloria Hunniford spoke to BBC’s Morning Live on Monday to highlight some of the warning signs of these fake texts, and what to do if you spot one in your inbox, including a vital number to add to your contact book.

But firstly, she pointed out: “Don’t touch this particular scam because you will get your money if you’re eligible for it automatically. If you have fallen through, contact your bank immediately.”

One of the first warning signs is a sense of urgency in the wording of the text, which may include a deadline that is very soon or specific words like ‘act now’ or ‘quickly’.

Gloria said: “Here’s the big warning; don’t touch it. It forces you to act but don’t do it.

“It’s all about ‘you’re owed £300’, ‘you’ve got to do this by a certain date’. Pressure, pressure, pressure. It’s terrible.”

The expert urged people: “Here’s the number you should definitely have in your black book: 7726. So your provider can investigate the origin of that text and arrange to block it or to ban the sender altogether.”

If you do click through to the link in these texts, you’ll likely be taken to a site that looks like the official Gov.uk website. But some subtle warning signs here will give away the fraudsters.

It may have odd letters or numbers in the url and bizarre phrasing on the website such as: “If you choose to forfeit your claim, we will allocate the funds to citizens who are in greater need.”

Gloria warned: “The government will never talk to you like that.”

After asking for basic details like your name, number and address, the next page will likely read: “You will be charged £1 to verify your card number. The fee will be refunded to your account within 24 hours.”

But Gloria warned: “That’s all in a bid to get information. Once they’ve got your card details, name, number and address, you’ve got no chance. They can forward that on to other people to scam you.”