Doorstep criminals sell cloned prepayment energy meter keys at half price — victims charged twice by their supplier

What is this scam?

Criminals linked to organised crime are knocking on doors and offering households with prepayment energy meters a £50 electricity or gas top-up for a cash payment of just £25. The keys are cloned rather than properly purchased, so the energy supplier detects the unpaid balance and bills the household for the energy used — leaving victims paying twice. More than 100,000 UK households have been affected. Energy suppliers never sell top-ups door-to-door; all legitimate top-ups must be purchased through official channels such as PayPoint, Payzone, or the supplier's own app.

Example scam message

Red flags to look out for

• The message creates urgency — threatening a fine, missed delivery, or account closure.
• Links lead to unofficial domains that don't match the real company's website.
• You weren't expecting this message and can't verify the event it references.
• It asks you to confirm payment details or personal information via a link.
• The sender's number or email address doesn't match the company's official contact.

What to do if you receive this

1. Do not click links or call numbers provided in the message.
2. Contact the organisation directly using details from their official GOV.UK page.
3. Forward the message to 7726 or email report@phishing.gov.uk.
4. Report it to Action Fraud at actionfraud.police.uk.