Practices targeted in crime spree

General practices are being targeted in an organised crime spree, with burglars breaking into clinics, stealing payment terminals, and processing fake claims.
 
At one Melbourne practice, thieves disguised in masks, hoodies and gloves were caught on CCTV last month, smashing their way into the clinic before taking off with Tyro machines.
 
At least seven practices have now been impacted, with the robbers processing fraudulent claims via the ‘unmatched refunds’ feature.
 
Melbourne GP Dr Nick Rhodes owns one of those practices.
 
‘When I got up in the morning, the burglar alarm at the clinic was going off … I went back through cameras and saw that at about 2.00 am we’d been broken into,’ he told newsGP.
 
‘They were fishing around reception and then the alarm went off and they left really quickly through the back door.
 
‘Initially we hadn’t realised what was taken, and then when we came in the morning, the manager identified that the Tyro machines had been taken.’
 
Dr Rhodes would go on to discover the thieves had processed $15,000 in claims between six doctors – all of which he was able to recover.
 
‘It’s something that they’ve worked out and then they’ve specifically targeted medical clinics … they went straight to the Tyro machines,’ he said.
 
‘They were definitely taken somewhere else because it was an hour between the break-in and then putting through the transactions.’
 
Authorities say the thefts have mainly occurred over weekends, when premises are unoccupied.
 
Victoria Police is now investigating the incidents, with Detective Senior Sergeant Haydn Beale telling newsGP authorities will ‘do everything we can to hold offenders to account’.
 
‘If you fall victim to a break-in, please don’t touch anything and report the matter as soon as possible to give police the best chance to investigate,’ he said.
 
Tyro Health has emphasised the incidents do not relate to Medicare Easyclaim or private health insurance claiming functionality, and that these services are continuing to operate securely.
 
‘The fraudulent activity instead involved a payments feature known as unmatched refunds, which allows refunds to be processed to a card other than the original payment card,’ the company said.
 
‘This function, while legitimate and protected by PIN set by the practice administrator, was exploited when terminals were stolen from a small number of healthcare practices.
 
‘Once aware of the issue, Tyro immediately disabled the unmatched refund feature for all Tyro Health merchants, introduced additional fraud and risk controls, and supported impacted customers.’
 
Detective Senior Sergeant Beale said there are several steps practices can take to help reduce the risk of becoming victim to burglaries.
 
‘This includes upgrading locks to commercial-grade deadbolts or electronic locks with audit trails and reinforcing doors and windows with security film or bars,’ he said.
 
‘We would also recommend installing a monitored alarm system and CCTV cameras at entry points to the building.
 
‘Practices should also consider implementing after-hours processes for security, particularly for EFT terminals left on site.’
 
In response to the burglaries, Victoria Police has teamed up with the RACGP to help GPs and practice managers implement security measures to prevent the theft of funds from payment terminals.
 
The advice includes recommendations on how to secure terminals, what to do if a machine is stolen, strengthening entry points, and reporting offences.
 
Victoria Police says its investigations into the thefts are continuing.
 
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