People across the UK are being urged to act accordingly
NHS patients are being threatened with being removed from their GP surgeries in a new, frightening phone call that’s spreading across the UK. The public is being urged to stay alert following reports of a new scam in which fraudsters impersonate receptionists and doctors in automated fake phone calls.
The calls appear to come from a UK mobile number. They claim that patients must update their GP records and hand over personal information or risk being struck off their practice.
These calls are not genuine, however. The NHS will never contact patients by phone to demand updates to their records, threaten removal from a GP list, or request personal or financial information.
In an ‘Important Patient Alert’ issued by the NHS, the health service said: “We have been made aware of recent scam phone calls where individuals are falsely claiming to be from our GP practice. In these calls, the scammer may say that if you do not ‘update your records’ over the phone, you will be removed from the practice list.
“They may ask for personal information, such as your address, NHS number, or bank details. Please be assured that we will only call you from our official practice phone number. If you’re unsure, you can always hang up and call us back using the number listed on our website.
“We will never threaten to remove you from our patient list during a phone call unless our zero-tolerance policy has been breached, and never due to your not sharing information. We will never ask for your financial information.”
Why are people falling for it?
Cybersecurity expert and IT security professional Javvad Malik, who is the lead CISO advisor at KnowBe4, explained that such scams succeed because they manipulate authority, urgency and emotion. He says these are three triggering constructs designed to prompt victims to act without thinking.
“GP records sound legitimate, and when you’re busy, your instinct is to comply rather than challenge,” Malik said. “Pause and never trust an unsolicited call demanding immediate action. And absolutely never share personal or payment details over the phone from an inbound call.”
What should you do if you receive one of these calls?
- Do not engage or provide any information.
- Hang up immediately.
- Contact your GP practice directly using the number listed on their website or appointment letters – not the one provided in the call.
- Never click on links or call back unknown numbers.
What if you have already responded?
- Contact your GP practice to confirm that no action is needed.
- Notify your bank immediately if any financial information was shared.
- Change any reused passwords and enable multi-factor authentication.
- Report the scam to Action Fraud or by calling 0300 123 2040.
- Be extra vigilant and alert to other phishing or social engineering attempts that may try to leverage the information shared.
