News-Scam alert: People urged to watch out for fake dentist

Our trading standards team is warning people to be on their guard after receiving five complaints about the supposed new venture in premises which once housed a genuine dental practice.

Posts show a new waiting room and even comment on new modern additions complimenting the building's 1800s heritage.

The posts state there is some urgency in what they are offering and that the offer is a limited time one, asking people to contact them quickly and only within a short window of time.

An option to call the surgery is given with the usual fallback of an internet registration option.

This is where the scammers want people to go, as they can ask for what would seem like normal details: personal information and payment details.

Anyone who has been a victim of the post is advised to contact their bank or building society to make them aware of the scam.

They can freeze or cancel bank cards and seek to recover what money they can, but more importantly stop any further payments being taken, whilst also issuing a new card.

Our officers carried out various checks as soon as they became aware of the scam, including visiting the address given and finding it empty.

They also checked with the General Dental Practice and NHS. A website claiming to be that of the new dentist has been taken down.

Ian Harrison, our business compliance manager, said: "We are aware that scams such as this are happening across the country.

"The scammers will have been aware of reports of people being unable to find NHS dentists and there being a shortage of appointments and will have seen this as an opportunity to exploit people and part them from their money.

"Not just this time of year but all year-round, scammers will try to prey on members of the public in order to try to get their hard-earned money.

"Scams come in many shapes and forms but usually follow similar formats. They often centre around a popular subject, product or service and create a time pressure to make people think they have to act quickly.

"We would ask that people think very carefully before disclosing private information or banking details to any company, or organisation, that they are not familiar with."