As the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) sends out another batch of Cold Weather Payments, there's a warning that scammers are launching a stream of increasingly sophisticated AI cyberattacks, known as ‘vishing’ to steal claimants' details.
AI-fuelled voice scams have surged by 1,600%, as fraudsters are impersonating the DWP about Cold Weather Payments. Altogether there have been 217,000 AI generated scam cases recorded in the first half of 2025 – with AI as the consistent driver. This adds up to £11.4 billion lost to scams in the UK in the past 12 months, with the average loss sitting at £1,400 per scam.
With cold weather payment scams on the rise as colder months continue, more Brits are falling victim to this calculated and cynical AI generated scam. Rather than responding to a call that claims to be from the DWP, people in England and Wales can use the DWP postcode checker to see if a payment is due, or check their own bank accounts and simply look out for their National Insurance number followed by the six-letter code "DWP CWP" to see if it has already been paid.
For those in Northern Ireland, the payment will appear with your National Insurance number, but will be followed up with the code "SSA CWP" instead.
The postcode checker is live now on the Gov.uk website.
“Martin angrily challenges Sir Keir Starmer to clear up social media scam adverts cess pit”
Courtesy of @thismorning pic.twitter.com/6jZpar7qpn— Martin Lewis (@MartinSLewis) January 13, 2026
How does the vishing AI scam work?
Vishing is short for voice phishing and uses fraudulent phone calls pretending to be reputable organisations.
This type of scam uses advancing technologies, such as AI, make deception easier and more effective. Scammers are using generative AI software to create ‘deepfakes’ - this technology can clone a person’s voice, making an attack even more convincing.
This comes as the January cold weather has triggered financial support for 802 postcodes across the UK, with some households receiving a double payout of £50.
Darren Corney, technology expert at Insurance2Go says: “The best method of defence is being able to identify what a vishing attack looks like, so you know how to respond in the moment.
“Those who engage in ‘vishing’ can take on many identities, including the impersonation of a delivery company, technology support, bank or utility provider, a competition provider or even HMRC. Scammers can also pose as family or friends in need of financial help.
“All a scammer needs to replicate a person’s voice is a recording, which they will then plug into AI to create a full script in that person’s voice.
“If in doubt that the call is real, put the phone down and call back the official phone number to check the call and request is legit.”
What are DWP Cold Weather Payments?
The £25 grant aims to help people with their heating bills when temperatures drop to zero. It is paid out by the Department for Work and Pensions to eligible households whenever the average temperature in the area drops to freezing or below for seven consecutive days.
It's organised by postcodes, and payments are triggered if zero temperatures are either forecast or recorded between November 1, 2025, and March 31, 2026.
It only runs in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. In Scotland, there's a one-off Winter Heating Payment of nearly £60.
The Cold Weather Payment is in addition to the Household Support Fund, Winter Fuel Payments and Warm Home Discount scheme.
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Cold Weather Payments are usually paid to the following groups:
Pension Credit
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Pension Credit.
Income Support and income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA)
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Income Support or income-based Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) and have any of the following:
- a disability or pensioner premium
- a child who is disabled
- Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- a child under 5 living with you
Income-related Employment and Support Allowance (ESA)
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get income-related ESA and are in a work-related activity group or support group. If you’re not in either group, you might also get Cold Weather Payments if you have any of the following:
- a severe or enhanced disability premium
- a pensioner premium
- a child who is disabled
- Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- a child under 5 living with you
Remember to check your post this week for a Warm Home Discount Letter
If you're eligible, you could receive a £150 discount on your electricity bill this winter. pic.twitter.com/DZLQ3wNKW8— Sadik Al-Hassan MP 🌹 (@SadikAlHassanMP) November 2, 2025
Universal Credit
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Universal Credit and:
- you are not employed or ‘gainfully self-employed’
- your partner is not employed or ‘gainfully self-employed’ (if you have a partner)
You’re likely to be considered ‘gainfully self-employed’ if being self-employed is your main job, you work regularly and expect to make a profit.
One of the following must also apply:
- you or your partner have a health condition or disability and have limited capability for work (with or without work-related activity)
- you have a child under 5 living with you
You’ll also be eligible if you have a disabled child amount in your claim. It does not matter whether you or your partner are employed, self-employed or not working.
Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI)
You’ll usually get Cold Weather Payments if you get Support for Mortgage Interest (SMI) and you’re treated as getting a qualifying benefit where one of the following applies:
- a severe or enhanced disability premium
- a pensioner premium
- you have a child who is disabled
- you get Child Tax Credit that includes a disability or severe disability element
- you have a child under 5 living with you
You’re usually treated as getting a qualifying benefit if you apply for it but do not receive it because your income is too high.
People who are eligible do not need to apply for the Cold Weather Payment: they’ll receive it automatically.
Anyone who receives one of the above benefits and who has a baby, or begins looking after a child under five, this winter is encouraged to tell Jobcentre Plus. Claimants will not automatically receive the payments otherwise.
Recommended reading:
- DWP Winter Fuel Payment deadline this month for pensioners born after September 1959
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How to avoid AI scams
With the threat level high, Darren Corney, technology expert at Insurance2Go, is revealing the signs to watch out for to detect a vishing attack:
1. Calling from an unknown number
“This is one of the most obvious giveaways. The scammer will call from a number the victim doesn’t recognise - it could be a UK number, a number with a different country code, or even a blocked number altogether, which will read as ‘no caller ID’. You should always avoid giving sensitive data over voice calls anyway.”
2. Time pressured
“The scammer will put time pressure on the victim to answer there and then, creating a sense of urgency. The idea is to panic the victim into giving up the information required to access accounts or extract payment. Pause and think before you act as any call creating urgency or pressure is suspect. UK consumer fraud campaigns often highlight this as red flag.”
3. Asking for sensitive information over the phone
“This is another big red flag, as reputable organisations will never ask for details like card numbers, pin numbers, passwords and log in details over the phone.
“You should always use multi-factor authentication wherever possible for your accounts, especially for banking and online accounts.”
4. They’ve built a profile on their target
“The scammer may seem like they are legit as they know a lot of personal information about their target.
“But consider if the person on the end of the phone can easily find this information out online, for example on social media. They may do their research and use this to build trust. Because of this, limit public sharing of personal information on social media. This includes your phone number, address and voice samples in videos that others can record.”
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