Carer's Allowance Scam
A scam targeting unpaid family caregivers with fake offers to help claim a carer's allowance or benefit for a fee, or impersonating the benefits office to threaten suspension of an existing claim.
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Carer's allowance and similar caregiver support benefits are aimed at people who provide substantial unpaid care for a family member with a disability or serious illness, a group that is often time-poor, financially stretched, and unfamiliar with the benefits system because caregiving responsibilities arrived unexpectedly. Scammers offer to handle the application for a fee, promising to secure the maximum possible award, when the real application is free and completed directly with the benefits agency.
A second version impersonates the agency to claim an existing carer's allowance award is under review because the care recipient's circumstances have changed, and that the carer must urgently confirm bank and personal details to avoid the payment being stopped. Because losing this income can directly affect a caregiver's ability to continue providing care, the threat carries extra weight and pressure. As with other benefit scams, the real agency handles reviews through official correspondence, never demands a fee to file a free application, and never requires urgent bank detail confirmation over an unsolicited call or text.
Sources
- SSA OIG — Scam Alert — Social Security Administration Office of the Inspector General
- Action Fraud — Cost of Living Payment Scams — Action Fraud (UK national fraud and cyber crime reporting centre, now Report Fraud) — Published by Action Fraud, the service Report Fraud replaced in December 2025; the alert is no longer available online.
- MoneyHelper — Universal Credit Scams — MoneyHelper (Money and Pensions Service, UK government-backed)
- FTC — How to Avoid a Government Impersonation Scam — Federal Trade Commission