Management Information Sheet

Mandate fraud is when someone gets you to change a direct debit, standing order or BACS payment details, by purporting to be an organisation you make payments to, for example a contractor or supplier.

We have been made aware of recent incidents in Buckinghamshire and Hertfordshire where schools have fallen victim to this type of fraud, with one school suffering a significant financial loss.

In recent cases school email accounts have been hacked and an invoice for a usual supplier of goods to the school have been doctored with banking details changed to a mule or fraudulent account. The email is then sent to the school admin team appearing to come from the school's head teacher with an instruction to pay the invoice.

We advise all schools to remain vigilant and to not pay anything where a existing supplier is giving different payment account details without checking with the business first.

It is strongly advised this check is made by a different communication route than email and only using established contact details held for the business, NEVER use information supplied on the suspicious payment request.