FARMERS are being warned to be extremely wary of any suspicious calls, texts or emails, as fraudsters target the agricultural sector - as large grants begin to arrive in their bank accounts this month.

From December, farmers start to receive large funds through the Basic Payment Scheme, the European Union’s main rural payments scheme.

Information about the payments, including the recipients’ names and the amount paid, is publicly available - meaning criminals are able to target directly victims and make their approaches appear more convincing.

The scam communications typically claim that fraud has been detected on the farmer’s bank account and that urgent action is required to safeguard funds. The victim is then persuaded to divulge personal or financial information, or even to transfer money directly into a so-called "safe account."

The warning comes from the Dedicated Card and Payment Crime Unit, a police unit formed as a partnership between Financial Fraud Action UK, the City of London Police and the Metropolitan Police together with the Home Office.

With some grants worth hundreds of thousands of pounds, in past years fraudsters have stolen significant amounts of money from their victims. As well as farmers, other organisations which use farmland also receive BPS funds.

Chief Inspector Nick Hunter, North Yorkshire Police lead for rural crime, said: “Criminals are well aware of when these annual payments start to arrive and will look for any opportunity to defraud their victims.

“It is vital that farmers, and other recipients of the payment, are alert to these scams and are very wary of any phone calls, texts or emails out of the blue asking for personal or financial information, or to transfer money to another account.”