Up to 40 staff at the Causeway Hospital have lost around £25,000 to conmen offering them fake tax advice
STAFF at Altnagelvin Hospital have been put on alert after unsuspecting colleagues at another hospital in the county were scammed out of thousands of pounds by crooks who set up a stall in their canteen offering fake tax advice.
Over 40 staff at the Causeway Hospital in Coleraine lost between £400 and £800 pounds each in the racket.
In total up to the conmen fleeced nurse, catering staff and domestics out of a whopping £25,000.
Now staff at Altnagelvin Hospital in Derry have been put on alert for confidence trickers and their bogus business.
According to reports, the staff were duped by a two-man team who spent two days inside the hospital allegedly offering to help staff claim back tax from the HM Revenue and Customs.
Staff caught in the sting revealed the scammers set up a stall in the canteen and claimed to have been invited onto the property by the Northern Trust.
But it was a lie and the Trust had not give them permission despite the fact they carried official-looking paperwork, stall and clipboards.
They offered to help employees reclaim tax in return for a small upfront fee.
Health care are entitled to tax relief on certain union and professional fees.
Under HMRC tax rules, if they wear a uniform they can legitimately claim an annual tax rebate on the cost of its laundry and upkeep, including shoes and socks and tights.
The silver-tongued crooks convinced the over 40 staff to hand over their personal details including national insurance number and bank details.
After two days of holding court in the canteen, the men suddenly packed up their stall and left.
However, they were not removed by the Trust who have alerted the PSNI and also warned staff about the major security breach.
Padraig McShane, an independent councillor for the Causeway Coast and Glens, said the Northern Trust has questions to answer.
He told Belfast Live : “How can two men, two complete strangers, get right into the heart of a hospital where there are vulnerable patients and busy staff, and set up a business under the very noses of the hospital bosses?
“They must have been laughing behind their clipboards. And business was so good, they didn’t just spend one day there, they came back for a second day and preyed on more unsuspecting people.
“This is a major and worrying security breach. When these men were asked who allowed them onto the property they said the Northern Trust had invited them in.
“Their cheek was incredible, so much so that they had staff convinced that they were legitimate and believed they were working across a number of hospitals.
“Now the Trust has told staff they should have protected their personal security better. Well they wouldn’t have to protect their personal security in their place of work if the Northern Trust had had better security in the first place.
“The staff have not only lost hard-earned money but they have handed over their personal banking and tax details to fraudsters – the potential consequences are a nightmare.
“The men have gone, the workers have lost their money and their confidence has been badly dented.”
A spokeswoman for the Northern Trust said: “We recently become aware of this issue and we are conducting a review of this incident.
“We have alerted Counter Fraud and other Trusts.
“We have reinforced with all our staff their responsibility to protect their personal information.
“The Trust would never promote financial institutions or organisations to staff as this type of engagement is not within our responsibilities.
“We are conducting a full investigation and as this is subject to an investigation by Counter Fraud we are unable to comment further.”
Tags: