Lincolnshire Trading Standards issues warning over fake dental practice claiming to offer NHS places in Lincoln
Lincolnshire Trading Standards has warned residents about a new scam offering NHS dental places at a supposed new practice in the Lincoln area.
Over the past week, a website and Facebook page under the name The Dental Surgery have surfaced, claiming to accept new NHS patients ahead of opening on December 11 and asking individuals to book and pay for appointments online.
The page has been linked to an address on St Catherines, associated with Brand Road and Springcliffe Surgery. The local GP has since confirmed that no such dental practice exists at that address.
In a message on its website, the organisation stated: "We have been made aware that our Springcliffe branch site has been used on a scam website for a dental practice, which is asking patients to book and pay for appointments online and then arrive at the site to register."
It continued: "The website is fake. This has been reported to the Police Action Fraud Department."
Lincolnshire Trading Standards also took to social media to warn residents not to fall victim to the scam, with the post being shared by Lincolnshire County Council.
On X, formerly known as Twitter, it wrote: "We have been made aware of a website and Facebook page which is purporting to be offering NHS dental places at a new dental practice in the Lincoln area.
"We have been unable to identify any business connect to the address given on the website and Facebook that are currently or are planning to to offer these services from this location.
"We are aware that the site requests personal information, such as passport and NHS numbers. If you have provided a passport number, you may need to cancel and reapply for your passport.
"If you have provided your NHS number, please be assured that your records can only be accessed by someone with access to NHS data. If you have any concerns, you can contact the NHS fraud line on 0800 028 4060."
Trading Standards has urged anyone who has interacted with the scam and provided scammers with financial details to contact their bank or credit card provider using a verified number.
It also advised that adverts on social media believed to be a scam can be reported by selecting the three-dot menu in the top corner of the post and choosing 'report.' Websites suspected to be scams can also be reported to Action Fraud on 0300 123 2040 or Trading Standards on 0808 223 1133.