The short answer
Be suspicious of anything that rushes you, asks you to click a link to log in or pay, or tells you bank details have changed. Check by ringing a number you already have, never one in the message. Forward texts to 7726 and emails to report@phishing.gov.uk.
The five tells
It's in a hurry.
"Within 48 hours", "before midnight", "your account will be closed". Urgency is there to stop you thinking.
It wants you to click and log in, or pay.
Real organisations rarely do. Go to their website by typing the address yourself, or use their app.
The address is slightly off.
gov.uk addresses end in gov.uk. Banks and suppliers have their own domain, not a near miss of it. Look at the actual email address, not the name shown.
Bank details have changed.
The most expensive scam for farms: a real supplier's email, hijacked or copied, with new bank details on an invoice. Always ring the supplier on a number you already have before paying a new account.
It's a call you didn't expect, asking for access or money.
Microsoft doesn't ring. Your bank won't ask you to move money to a 'safe account'. Caller ID can be faked to show a real number.
The ones aimed at farms
- Fake Rural Payments emails saying a payment is on hold until you 'confirm your bank details'.
- Fake HMRC refunds by text or email.
- Invoice fraud from hauliers, feed merchants or contractors whose email has been taken over.
- Fake livestock or machinery for sale online, at prices that are too good, with a deposit to pay first.
If you get one
- Texts: forward to 7726. It's free and the networks block the sender.
- Emails: forward to report@phishing.gov.uk, then delete.
- If you've clicked or paid: ring your bank straight away on the number on your card, change the password on anything you entered, and turn on two-step login. Then report it to the police fraud service.
- Not sure? WhatsApp a screenshot to Daniel before you tap anything.
Questions people ask
How do scammers know I'm a farmer?
Farm businesses are listed publicly, and a lot is guesswork: send ten thousand fake Rural Payments emails and some will reach farmers.
Will antivirus stop these?
It catches some nasty attachments, but most scams are just convincing words. Habits beat software here, backed up by two-step logins.
What's two-step login?
A code from your phone on top of your password, so a stolen password alone is useless. It's the single best protection you can add.
Checked October 2026.