I got a text saying to click a link to 'confirm' a bank account change on my benefits that I never made - what does this mean?

There are two overlapping possibilities behind this kind of text. In the more common scenario, it's simply a phishing message inventing a fake 'bank change' alert to create alarm and get you to click a malicious link, with no real change ever attempted. In a more concerning but less common scenario, a scammer may have already partially compromised your identity details and genuinely attempted to change your bank details with the real agency, triggering a real automated security alert - though even then, the text itself might not be the actual official alert, and could instead be a scammer's fake version sent to intercept your reaction.

Because of this overlap, the safest response in either case is the same: do not click any link in the text. Instead, log into your official benefits account directly by typing the agency's address into your browser, and check whether your bank details show any unexpected or unfamiliar change. If a change was genuinely attempted or made without your authorization, you'll be able to see and correct it directly through the official, secure channel, and can then report the identity compromise to the agency.

This situation is also a good moment to review your account security more broadly, since a genuine attempted bank detail change can indicate that your personal information has been compromised elsewhere, such as through a data breach or a previous successful phishing attempt.