Star comment: All you do to foil them is hang up
This month Shropshire farmers are looking forward to the arrival of their annual European Union grant payments. So are the crooks. They know who you are.
They really do, as information about those farmers who are getting the money, and how much, is in the public domain.
And what that means is that fraudsters can target their victims armed with information which gives their con a veneer of plausibility.
The irony of it all is they ring, text, or email the farmers warning them that a fraud has been detected on their account. It hasn't – but if the farmers are taken in, there is about to be.
The fraudsters play the part of helping the farmers to avoid become victims, while in reality what they are doing is grooming them to become victims, persuading them to hand over financial information or to transfer the money into a "safe account". That "safe account" is in reality a big bag marked "swag" with which the fraudster will make off if the victim co-operates in being taken for an expensive ride.
West Mercia Police are issuing a warning to farmers not to be caught out and giving advice on how they can protect themselves. Those who are wary and security-conscious need to be aware of some tricks the crooks play which can convince them the call is a genuine one.
Call us back, or put the phone down and call your bank to check, they might say. They then keep the line open by not putting down the receiver at their end. So if you are suspicious, say police, hang up, wait five minutes to clear the line, or if possible use a different phone, then call your bank or card issuer to report the fraud.
You may think "they'll never catch me out", but it is as well not to underestimate the guile of these people, and that applies of course to everybody, and not just to farmers receiving grant payments.
With so much loot to plunder, it does not matter to the crooks if they are sussed out repeatedly. They only need the occasional successful hit to make it all worthwhile. There is always another potential victim they can ring.
When dealing with such people on the end of the phone, the inclination towards politeness and being accommodating is a distinct disadvantage.
But you do not have to be rude to protect yourself. All you have to do, once your suspicions are aroused, is hang up. Firmly, but politely.
