Fraudsters have scammed thousands of pounds out of victims by pretending to be members of staff at the Sun, the paper has said.
More than a dozen people have come forward to say they were approached by someone claiming to be from the paper who offered them the chance to feature in it for a refundable fee, according to the Sun.
Evidence seen by the Guardian suggested the imposter was mimicking a genuine Sun email address and phone number, as well as using a fake name. The paper said it believed that email and phone number spoofing software was being used to create the illusion of credibility.
One victim told the Guardian they were tricked into handing over £1,250 and the Sun said others had reported handing over similar amounts after being targeted by the scammers.
“What made this so shocking and clever was that they called me from the Sun’s number and emailed from the Sun’s email address,” said the victim, who wished to remain anonymous.
A Sun spokesman said: “We have had about 15 [cases] reported to us and, as soon as that has happened, we have referred them to the police.” The paper’s ombudsman, Philippa Kennedy, said the first case was reported about a month ago and a spokesman added that the latest was brought to its attention last week.
The anonymous victim said they were called from a mobile number by someone who identified themselves as Andrew Davis, a member of staff at the Sun. No such person exists, the Guardian understands. The victim was told that the paper was short of content and on a tight deadline and was, therefore, looking for interview subjects.
They agreed to be interviewed by a freelancer, but said the scammer told them the journalist would not be paid upfront by the paper. In order to cover the cost, they were told, they would need to transfer money to a bank account under a false name. That money would be refunded once the article was given the green light, they were promised.
The victim said they sought assurances that the offer was genuine by asking the fraudster to call back from an office number and email from a Sun address. When both appeared to check out, they agreed to go ahead with the bank transfer.
“He asked me to email him an image of the bank transfer to the writer. I did. He told me she [the freelance journalist] would call me shortly. I waited. I waited. My heart started beating. I called the Sun and, after a second attempt, they finally said there was a scam going on like that and that they were investigating,” the victim said.
The Sun said it referred all of the cases it had heard of to Action Fraud, the UK’s national fraud and internet crime centre. The body, which is part of City of London police, declined to discuss individual cases.
