‘We have received your referral’
In this cold call scam, the caller states that they are contacting you as they have received a referral for a particular service. They will then request personal information, sometimes including your card details. This is a particularly dangerous scam for vulnerable adults, or those who are elderly, who might have been told to expect a call from a specific service within the NHS.
One GP practice stated that, ‘our staff will be happy to provide their full name, the team they work for, their base and contact details, and the reason for their call.’ If the caller will not specify the service that they are contacting you from, or the reason for the referral that they have received, or cannot explain the reason they are asking for personal information, it’s likely a scam.
‘Please update your details’
In this version of the call, the scammer will state that you are at risk of being removed from the GP service, because you need to update your information. Sometimes this can be an automated voice, and victims will be prompted to press 1 to speak to an English speaking operative. This person then requests your personal information, sometimes including your card details.
The NHS have stated that, ‘We will never threaten to remove you from our patient list during a phone call unless our 0-tolerance policy has been breached, and never due to you not sharing information’. The NHS will also never ask for your banking information or your card details.
‘We’re selling medical devices/vitamins’
In this scam call, the caller states that they are offering vitamins, supplements or even medical devices and equipment to NHS service users. They are likely to attempt to engage you in a longer conversation about your health in an attempt to persuade you to purchase these products, and then request your bank information.
The NHS have stated that they ‘no NHS service would under any circumstances call members of the public and attempt to sell vitamin supplements’. The NHS is free at the point of access, meaning that the services you access through the NHS, and any devices that you need for your treatment should be free. For prescriptions, the NHS charges £9.90 per item, unless the item is contraception, or medication that you’re receiving as a patient at a hospital.
How can I stay safe from scam calls?
If the person you’re speaking to has cold called you, they’re using an unrecognisable number, you weren’t expecting the call and you’re being hassled for personal information, you’re probably on the phone with a scammer. In this instance, end the call, and contact the service directly using a phone number you find on your GP’s website, or on a letter addressed to you.
