Pension Credit Scam
A scam targeting retirees, offering to help them claim a means-tested pension top-up or credit in exchange for a fee, or impersonating the pension agency to steal personal details.
Last reviewed: 5 July 2026
Pension credit and similar means-tested retirement top-up schemes exist to boost the income of retirees whose pension alone falls below a certain threshold, but the application process can be confusing enough that scammers profitably position themselves as 'helpers'. One version of the scam involves a caller or door-to-door visitor offering to complete the pension credit application on the retiree's behalf for a fee, when the real application is free and can be done directly with the pension agency by phone or online.
A second version impersonates the pension agency itself, claiming an existing pension credit award is under review or about to be stopped unless the retiree 'verifies' their bank details immediately. Because pension credit can also unlock other benefits such as help with heating costs or council tax, scammers sometimes bundle several of these threats together in a single call to increase urgency. Genuine pension credit applications and reviews never charge a fee, and any change to an existing award is communicated through official letters, not urgent unsolicited phone calls demanding immediate bank verification.
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