Essex and Kent practices ‘targeted in card machine scam’

Veterinary staff have been urged to be vigilant after suspected card scammers targeted several practices in south-east England.

Police in two counties are investigating incidents at three premises over recent days and it is feared that more may have – and could still be – affected.

Officers in Kent say enquiries are continuing into reports of fraud at two practices in the county, which occurred within two hours of each other last Wednesday (4 December).

Thousands of pounds

Thousands of pounds are feared to have been taken from one of the affected sites, the Clover Street Veterinary Clinic in Chatham, in a bogus card machine transaction and staff do not yet know whether the funds can be recovered.

Senior RVN Wallace Scott said she now felt on “red alert” every time the machine was used, adding: “The last week it’s pretty much taken over our lives.”

The incident there was reported just after 12 noon, little more than 90 minutes after police received a similar report from a practice in nearby Bearsted.

Transaction

Meanwhile, Essex Police confirmed they would be looking into an incident at the Brookend Veterinary Practice in Witham on Thursday in which a man attempted to steal several thousand pounds through a card transaction.

Although staff there managed to block the transfer, it is feared that other sites may already have been targeted and director Michael Probert echoed the concerns of the Chatham team that more incidents could follow.

He said: “We have informed all local vets, but are concerned they may move to different areas.”