FARM support payments started arriving in claimants’ bank accounts on Monday, the last SPS payments under the old CAP scheme.

The new scheme will move to a new area-based support scheme from next year onwards.

The Rural Payments Agency was expecting to pay a record 95 per cent of all Single Payment claimants in England on that day.

However, the arrival of payments in bank accounts also comes with a warning that recipients must be alert to potential fraudulent activity.

Banks have already expressed fears there may be a spike in criminals targeting farm accounts through telephone banking scams.

The NFU has issued the following advice on how farmers can protect against fraud: n Farmers are urged to be cautious to a new twist on an old scam which has seen the farming community lose hundreds of thousands of pounds over the past two years.

n The fraudsters are aware of the timing of the SPS, as a lot of information has been publically available, including the amount paid.

Members should look out for fraudsters calling and claiming to represent their bank or the police. Normally, the criminals will claim that fraud has been detected on the farmer’s business or personal account and that immediate action is required to remedy the situation.

The victim is then convinced to hand over bank account details in order to transfer funds into a “safe account” which is actually controlled by the fraudster.

Once the money is transferred, it is often very difficult to recover as funds are then quickly moved into other accounts.

Banks and the Financial Fraud Action UK (FFA) have advised there are a number of simple rules that can be followed to reduce the chances of becoming a victim.

Your bank or the police will never: n Phone you to ask for your four-digit card PIN or your online banking password, even by tapping them into the telephone keypad.

- Ask you to withdraw money to hand over to them.

- Ask you to transfer money to a new account for fraud reasons, even if they say it is in your name.

- Send someone to your home to collect your cash, PIN, payment card or cheque book, even if you are a victim of fraud.

- Ask you to purchase goods using your card and then hand them over for safe-keeping.