Farmers warned about risk of financial crime as BPS support payments start to arrive

Farmers need to be on the alert for emails or phone calls from fraudsters who will be aware of the arrival of support payments in their bank accounts, says Charles Ireland of Strutt & Parker’s Oxford office.

The Rural Payments Agency paid 33,000 farmers on the opening day of the payment window yesterday (Tuesday, December 1) for the 2015 Basic Payment Scheme.

The agency has said it will pay the majority of producers by the end of December and the vast majority by the end of January.

"The basic payment is crucial to farmers' cashflow, so it is vital that producers are on their guard over the coming weeks,” says Charles Ireland. “We know that farmers have been targeted in the past with some losing thousands of pounds to unscrupulous individuals.

"The Rural Payments Agency has warned farmers that banks will never ask for their full online password and will not ask them to make a payment over the phone using their online account. It is important that people remember these rules regardless of how convincing the person they are speaking to is. It is better to be safe than sorry.

“Fraud is always distressing, but with commodity prices under pressure the last thing farmers need is to fall foul of devious and heartless criminals.”

Watch out for… plus Dos & Don’ts

Be very wary of calls, texts or emails you are not expecting claiming to be from your bank asking for personal or financial information, or asking you to make a money transfer.

If a cold caller suggests you hang up and call them back to check their authenticity, be wary, as fraudsters can keep a telephone line open at their end. If you receive such a call, hang up, wait at least 5 minutes to clear the line and make sure you can hear a dial tone when you ring, or use a different phone line, to call your bank. Make sure you call their official number, which you can find from a reputable source such as on correspondence from them or their website.

Never disclose your four digit card PIN, your full online password or banking code to anyone. Your bank will never ask for these.