Alan, whose family grow a mixture of crops from brussels sprouts to wheat, said: “It’s like anyone farming, you’re doing something outside, then you’ve got a bit of time. I need to pay some bills. I want this work done.
“I’m not technically savvy. We’re pressurised. We’re not office people. Just ourselves doing admins.”
Alan got some of the money back after contacting his bank and claiming insurance, but he lost £16,000.
“Completely gutted,” he said. “You’re out of pocket. You’re never going to see that money back again. Basically, it was the equivalent of your year’s wages you’ve lost.
“I’ve suffered from depression in the past, and obviously, you know you’re trying to be positive. But you can’t just forget about it.”
Countryfile has been investigating the scams that target farming communities for the ’s Scam Safe Week.
Alan isn’t alone in falling for fake invoices. Last year, about £50m was lost to invoice scammers, with 80% of the frauds beginning with an email.
There are no precise figures for invoice fraud within the farming community itself, but Countryfile asked Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre, to cross-check their most recent reports for scams involving farms and invoices.
In 2022, they had 35 such reports and in 2023 they had 54 – an increase of more than 50%.
