The first SPS payments will be made to farmers from Monday (1 December), though Rural Payments Agency (RPA) officials have urged farmers to remain vigilant and be aware of potential fraudsters.

As the payment window opens this week, RPA said banks have warned the Agency that, over the past two years, they have been made aware of criminals attempting to cheat money out of SPS claimants.

A common ploy is for fraudsters to claim they are calling from the farmer's bank (often the fraud department) to either request farmers' details directly, or else hold phone lines open in a bid to gain information. In many cases fraudsters will claim suspicious activity has been detected in the farmer's bank account, often recommending funds are transferred over to another account for safekeeping – this account is controlled by the fraudster.

To avoid the heightened risk of falling victim to fraud at this time of year, RPA offered advice on a number of simple steps that can be taken to reduce the chances of becoming a victim of deception:

• Remember that your bank will never request your full online password information.
• Your bank will not ask you to make a payment over the phone by using your online account.
• Be aware that if your bank does request you to call back, you need to ensure that you can hear a dial tone first or use a mobile to phone the bank directly (as the phone line may be held open by the fraudster).

As many SPS claimants' details are publicly available, NFU has also urged farmers to exercise caution and be wary of unsolicited calls. The union has also offered some detailed advice.

This is the last year that payments will be made under old CAP scheme.