Hundreds of people may have fallen victim to a fraudulent NHS dental practice, which falsely promised treatment slots online to those urgently seeking care.
A website for “The Dental Practice” in Lincoln, asked desperate members of the public to fill out forms asking for their passport number – and even took bank or credit card payments to reserve appointments.
Emma Milligan, from Lincolnshire Trading Standards, said the body was unaware of how many people had been duped by the scam.
Ms Milligan said the site had promised “We’ll get you a place, if you send us your personal details; if you send us money, we’ll get you an NHS dentist.”
“That’s what’s drawn people in.”
Paul Bowring signed up as soon as he saw appointments at the practice advertised on Facebook.
He and his wife had been desperately trying to find an NHS dentist for six years since their local practice transitioned to private care.
They rushed to register with “The Dental Practice Lincoln”, sharing personal details including the couple’s passport numbers and bank details during the sign-up process.
Mr Bowring was then forced to alert credit agents and cancel their passports, leaving the couple to fork out £200 for new documents.
He said: “We’re normally the ones telling our families to be careful about scams, but they hit us with exactly what we were after.
“The scammers are awful people who are preying on vulnerabilities.
“It doesn’t stop us feeling daft, but I think it’s something that’s caught out hundreds of people.”
Similar websites have been reported targeting people in Norfolk and West Yorkshire.
Lincolnshire Trading Standards manager Ms Milligan said officers were alerted to the website by relatives and council staff who were concerned that personal data was being harvested.
People of all ages were caught out by the scam, which she described as “sophisticated”.
She advised people to take a step back and do further research before handing over personal details to anyone online.
Anyone who handed over financial details should contact their bank, and those who suspect they may have been a victim should visit the Citizens Advice Bureau website for guidance.
Martin Richardson, senior partner at National Fraud Helpline, said: ‘Whenever people are desperate for a product or service, fraudsters will try to take advantage.
‘This is typical of the opportunism we see from scammers across all sorts of fraud.’
Have you lost money to a scam? Contact National Fraud Helpline. Call 0333 0033218 or fill out our Claim Form.