Fife farmer lost “a year’s wage” in invoice scam
29th November 2024
A Fife farmer has shared his story about how he fell victim to an email scam. After paying his bills of £28,000, he realised that the invoices were fraud.
Alan Steven, who runs a farm near St Andrews in Fife, said he received invoices to pay a building contractor £12,000 and a grain merchant £16,000.
He paid the bills, however, not so long after, his genuine suppliers started chasing him for payment. Mr Steven then realised he had been the victim of a sophisticated fraud, BBC News reported.
It is understood that the scammers hacked into his email account and cloned genuine invoices before swapping in their own bank details.
Mr Steven told the BBC: “We’re working with a new contractor for some concreting in the yard and building works.
“That was £12,000. The quote all looks the same, but they’ve changed the bank details at the bottom.”
Fife farmer Alan Steven fell victim to scammers who hacked his email and cloned his invoices.
— Dr Alan Bullion – Southborough East & High Brooms (@alanbullion2) November 24, 2024
Source: BBC News https://t.co/35n17stpOo
‘Equivalent of your year’s wages you’ve lost’
Mr Steven added that he is not “technically savvy”, but like many other farmers, he has to do the admin work himself.
The farmer confirmed that he was able to get some of the money back after contacting his bank and claiming insurance, but he lost £16,000.
Mr Steven, who grows a mixture of crops from brussels sprouts to wheat, said that he is “completely gutted”.
“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,” he told the media.
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