Once the mandate change has been processed, the criminal will be able to divert payments into their own account. This can result in significant financial losses for the victim. The following are some actions that can be taken to reduce the likelihood of such a fraud being successful: Be wary of unsolicited requests to change bank account details. If you receive a request from a supplier or contractor to change their bank account details, do not action it immediately. Instead, contact the supplier or contractor directly using the established contact details held on the existing internal record to verify the request.
Check all documentation carefully. If you do receive a request to change bank account details, be sure to check all documentation carefully before making any changes. Look out for any inconsistencies or errors, and be suspicious of any documentation that is poorly produced or unprofessional. Keep your supplier and contractor contact details up to date. This will make it easier to verify any requests to change bank account details. Educate your staff about mandate fraud. Make sure that you and your staff are aware of the signs of mandate fraud and know how to report it.
Be sure to record and report every mandate fraud to your Local Counter Fraud Specialist, your Counter Fraud Champion or the NHS Counter Fraud Authority, regardless of whether money has been paid or not. The more reports that are received, the greater the likelihood that fraudulent phishing emails will be detected. To give some context about the impact your actions could have, for the whole of the 2022/23 financial year, the overall financial impact of mandate fraud activity (detected, prevented, recovered) across the whole NHS and wider health group was in excess of £34 million, with a substantial proportion of that coming from preventative work undertaken within NHS bodies.
COUNTER FRAUD | SCRUTTON BLAND | 5
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