Is This A Scam Or From British Gas?

smurfchops | 09:31 Thu 31st Mar 2022 | Business & Finance

39 Answers

Telephone number 07786200698. ‘From British Gas. To make sure your consumption is charged as accurately as possible ahead of any price changes, could you please reply with a Gas and Elec Meter Reading in the following format G1234 or G12345 E12345. Thanks, your British Gas Team.’
Sent as a message and yes I am with British Gas but number comes up as a scam….. thanks all.

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sandra4444

Yes. And British gas are most of the time :)

THECORBYLOON

Just had the following from British Gas (BG),

"From British Gas. Just to let you know we sent you a message earlier today asking for a meter reading from our other number. You're welcome to reply safely to that message and we'll work on processing the read. Thanks, your British Gas team"

There was no 'phone number but it went to the same place in my messages as a previous genuine BG message.

I would reply to the earlier message but since I thought it was spam, I deleted it and I'm sure many others would have done the same...

bhg481

and what makes you think that one isn't spam?

THECORBYLOON

I had a genuine message in January and the second message now appears above the January one.

The one I had earlier to-day did not do that as it had come from a different 'phone number.

Buenchico

I've not come across it with text messages before but perfectly genuine British Gas phone numbers keep getting listed as being from scam callers on sites like 'Who Called Me?' when they call to ask consumers to submit their meter readings.

So it's possible that these texts are equally legitimate but getting marked as 'scam' by people who don't trust them.

smurfchops

Question Author

Just had another message, on my Samsung phone, I blocked the first number, couldn’t find a phone number on this one. It reads “ From British Gas. Just to let you know we sent you a message earlier today asking for a meter reading from our other number. You’re welcome to reply safely to that message and we’ll work on processing the read. Thanks, your British Gas team”. Didn’t mention my name. Usually they email me, I go into my account and read the meter that way.

Buenchico

When BG email you though, they include a link to the 'meter readings' part of their website. As that has been crashing all day long
( https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-60938730 ),
it's perfectly possible that BG have been encouraging people to submit their meter readings via text messaging instead.

EdmundD

I've had two text messages:

The first from 07537416812 advising the sames as the OP states above.
The second from British Gas telling me it is safe to respond to the earlier text.

I'm going to wait until the British Gas site is back up.

smurfchops

Question Author

Me too.

bobbie22

I have received 3 texts from this number. I thought it was odd because I went into my account yesterday and gave them my readings. I did not think of this as a scam, but I did wonder why the texts when I had already read my meters. What could they gain out of this?

Buenchico

>>> I did wonder why the texts when I had already read my meters. What could they gain out of this?

They could well be trying to get all of their customers to stay away from their website (without any checks on whether they've recently submitted readings or not) in order to stop it crashing! [See my link, above, at 16:22].

ladybirder

I am on a fixed rate, not variable, so I don't need to contact them. At least I don't think so.

Buenchico

Martin Lewis's advice about submitting meter readings today only makes sense if you think that your energy supplier is likely to underestimate your gas/electricity usage up until today is less than it actually is. Then, when they find out later on how much you've actually used by that time, they'll charge you for some of your pre-increase usage at the higher rate.

However British Gas have been drastically over-estimating my electricity usage lately, meaning that I could well end up getting electricity that I use after the price increase at the pre-increase price. So I've deliberately chosen NOT to try submitting my meter readings today!

Peter Pedant

Royal Mail, NHS, British Gas, will never contact you from a mobile number. Somebody had better tell all of the NHS services

I dont get my gas or electricity from the NHS: is there something wrong with me?

Peter Pedant

// submitting meter readings today only makes sense if you think that your energy supplier is likely to underestimate your gas/electricity usage//

yes- no

Lewis said there were gonna use a linear approximation and over estimate the expensive stuff and underestimate the cheaper

which i can well believe as I was whacked with a late payment charge when - - I hadnt been late.....snotbags

THECORBYLOON

If folk with British Gas want to submit their reading but can not get logged in online, they can do so using this link.
https://www.britishgas.co.uk/energy/submit-meter-read.html

You'll need your gas and electricity account numbers and I got mines from the e-mails notifying the increases.