I paid scammers in the thousands thinking they were my farm suppliers

Alan, whose family grow a mix of crops from Brussels sprouts to wheat, said: “It’s like anyone who farms, you’re doing something outside, you’ve got a bit of time. I’ve got some bills to pay. I want this work done .

“I’m not tech-savvy. We’re under pressure. We’re not office people. We’re just doing admin.”

Alan got some of the money back after contacting his bank and claiming insurance, but he lost £16,000.

“Completely destroyed,” he said. “You’re out of pocket. You’re never going to see that money back. Basically, it was the equivalent of your annual salary that you’ve lost.

“I’ve suffered from depression in the past and of course you know you try to be positive. But you can’t just forget about it.”

Countryfile has been investigating scams targeting farming communities for the BBC’s Scam Safe Week.

Alan is not alone in falling for fake invoices. Last year around £50m was spent. lost to invoice fraudsters, with 80% of frauds beginning with an email.

There are no exact figures for invoice fraud in the farming community itself, but Countryfile asked Action Fraud, the national fraud reporting centre, to cross-check their latest reports for fraud involving farms and invoices.

By 2022 they had 35 such reports, and by 2023 they had 54 – an increase of more than 50%.