Fraudsters’ target is YOU
By Robin Stride
Private consultants and GPs are being put on red alert over rising threats to their practice finances from fraudsters.
Independent practitioners and their staff are seen as potential easy targets from criminals responsible for conning the cash from over 40% of businesses in the UK last year alone.
Doctors face attacks from an arsenal of sophisticated stings including:
- Phone scams;
- Malicious software;
- Phishing;
- Mandate fraud;
- Cheque cheats.
Now Lloyds Bank has joined with Independent Practitioner Today in this issue to help readers beat the maze of trickery being used by criminal gangs to try and steal their money.
Head of healthcare banking services, Ian Crompton, warned: ‘An independent practitioner, or any healthcare professional, is likely to be a target. They are high earners and there is probably a perception they move money around and have large amounts, and that’s what fraudsters target.
‘I would advise any independent practitioner to advise their staff to be extra careful because there is such a lot of this fraud going on at this present time.
‘The fraudsters don’t care about the business – all they care about is an opening. We are keen to get this message across to independent practitioners and the staff working for them.
‘Anyone could be a target and they could lose many thousands of pounds – it can be tens of thousands. People think it won’t happen to them, and it does.’
Lloyds Bank said a spate of large cases recently affected veterinary surgeons. But once target groups knew they were being attacked, they increased their defences, so criminals moved to other businesses where they thought there was money.
The trusting nature of the medical profession also makes many doctors and staff vulnerable to attack.
Mr Crompton warned: ‘These guys will try and defraud whomever they think they can. Everybody should be on their guard, especially if they have credit balances.
‘What fraudsters try and do is to get someone to release their codes and even while you are speaking to them, they are taking money out of your account. They are very clever in what they do and it is effective.
It’s a bit like opening your wallet to them; they are so credible that people get drawn into it.’
Lloyds Bank is also warning of a recent escalation in employee fraud, most commonly when corrupt staff present cheques drawn on a business account for personal gain. This is usually done by forging signatures.
- See ‘Lock out the scammers’