How fake dentists are conning would-be patients

Fraudsters have been posing as dentists to take advantage of patients desperate for NHS appointments. But how does the scam work and why are people falling for it?

The scammers, who have been fraudulently using the identity of a real dentist, have been encouraging people to pay up front for treatment before disappearing with their money.

Their victims include Laura, from Martham, Norfolk, who told the BBC how she paid £100 to the fraudsters, and said her father had also fallen victim to the scam, operating across England.

Steve Marsling from Toothless in Suffolk, which campaigns for better access to NHS dentistry appointments, said those behind the scam were "disgusting".

The scammers have been using Facebook community groups to post links to their own Facebook page and website.

Posts typically offer "exciting news", saying: "If you are struggling to register with a dental practice, we can help."

Would-be patients are then invited to pay to book appointments, with dates available from January.

They are told this will "automatically" register them as NHS patients.

Prices vary from £26 for a "NHS Band 1 appointment" to £319 for a "NHS Band 3 appointment".

When a booking is attempted, a form to input payment details appears and funds are taken.

However, no surgery or dentist exists.

The BBC has been investigating the Facebook account and the linked website used by the scammers, who have been operating under the name "The Dental Surgery".

However, the place names advertised have changed a number of times in just a few weeks.

No evidence, including reviews or news articles, of the claimed surgeries could be found online.

We tried to contact the provided telephone numbers but they were not answered.

The fraudsters have been exploiting people's desperation to find an NHS dentist, in short supply in many parts of the country.

Norfolk, Essex, Suffolk, Devon, Merseyside and County Durham are among the areas targeted so far.

Trading Standards in Lincolnshire said the scam had also been operating there.

Laura, 39, said she had been trying to find an NHS dentist for nine years, so had wanted to sign up quickly to secure a spot.

She paid £100 and also had her father sign up, but soon began to have doubts.

"I looked into the NHS website and couldn't find the dentist practice; looked online, couldn't find it and then realised this may not be legitimate," she said.

She managed to recover her money through her bank, but her father did not.

The scammers have tried to make their website and Facebook posts looks as genuine as possible.

There are clues, however, that all is not as claimed, including a "chatbot" that shows details for a practice in Hellesdon, Norfolk, instead of the advertised surgery in Shildon, County Durham.

The website features a fake Care Quality Commission (CQC) certificate that falsely names one dentist, who told the BBC he had no involvement.

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The dentist, who operates in the West of England but asked not to be identified, said his photo and details had been used without permission.

“I’ve had calls from people I don’t know, asking me for money back," he said.

“My reputation is built on trust and having my image and name used on a fake website is damaging.

“I have no idea why I and my other staff have been targeted.”

The fake CQC certificate also names a company, identified by the BBC as a care home firm currently in administration.

The website also includes information about NHS registration taken from a real dental surgery in Ipswich.

The logo used on the Facebook page and website belongs to another surgery, in Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex.

It told the BBC it had no association with either page.

The fraudsters' Facebook page appears to have been previously used to promote other suspected scams.

Using the social media platform's "page transparency" feature, the BBC saw previous names used by the account.

They included "SparkFest Great Yarmouth", a fireworks event in 2023, which Great Yarmouth Borough Council said was believed to be a scam.

In August, people were warned against buying tickets for "The Big Jump - Inflatable Park" in Southend by trading standards officers there.

Mr Marsling, of Toothless in Suffolk, told the BBC people had been using alcohol to numb tooth pain and even resorting to pulling out their own teeth out because they could not find an NHS dentist.

He said people were so desperate that they were easy prey and would do whatever they could to pay the scammers' fee.

"They are going to find and scrape the money together; they can't afford it, that's why they are not going private," he said.

On the scammers themselves, he said: "If it’s lucrative, they’ll do it, because they have no moral fibre, do they?

"Who would do that to a vulnerable person? It’s disgusting.”

Norfolk Trading Standards said: "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 Hellesdon area of Norwich.

"We are currently looking into this and so far have been unable to identify any business connected to the address given on the website and Facebook page that are currently or are planning to offer these services from this location."

A spokesperson for NHS Mid and South Essex said: “We encourage all residents to use the official NHS Find a Dentist website for the most up to date information on dental practices that are accepting new NHS patients.”

The CQC said its registration team was looking into the case.

Action Fraud, the national reporting centre for fraud and cybercrime, said the case was being assessed by the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau at the City of London Police.

The BBC provided Meta, which owns Facebook, with a link to the scammers' Facebook page, which is still online.

The company said it did not allow fraudulent activity on its sites and was working with law enforcement to keep scammers off its platforms.

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