NHS patients are being threatened with being removed from their GP surgeries in a new, frightening phone call that’s spreading across the UK. The public is being urged to stay alert following reports of a new scam in which fraudsters impersonate receptionists and doctors in automated fake phone calls.
The calls appear to come from a UK mobile number. They claim that patients must update their GP records and hand over personal information or risk being struck off their practice.
These calls are not genuine, however. The NHS will never contact patients by phone to demand updates to their records, threaten removal from a GP list, or request personal or financial information.
In an ‘Important Patient Alert’ issued by the NHS, the health service said: “We have been made aware of recent scam phone calls where individuals are falsely claiming to be from our GP practice. In these calls, the scammer may say that if you do not ‘update your records’ over the phone, you will be removed from the practice list.
“They may ask for personal information, such as your address, NHS number, or bank details. Please be assured that we will only call you from our official practice phone number. If you’re unsure, you can always hang up and call us back using the number listed on our website.
“We will never threaten to remove you from our patient list during a phone call unless our zero-tolerance policy has been breached, and never due to your not sharing information. We will never ask for your financial information.”
Please remain vigilant and if you’re not sure, please hang up and call the practice phone number: 01392 255722
Thank you
Page Created: 13th November 2025
Page Updated: 13th November 2025