A new campaign is encouraging people to ‘take five’ before taking up any offers to reduce the risk of becoming a victim of fraud.
Take Five to Stop Fraud is warning the public to stay alert to fraud as the common ’back to the grind’ feeling in September could make them more susceptible to fraud.
Post-holiday busyness in September can sometimes put people at greater risk as they’re focused on multiple things like returning from holiday and getting children back to school.
New data from the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign has found that half of people (50%) say they feel busier when coming back from a holiday. A third said that being busy makes them more likely to take a chance on a cheap deal or financial offer (34%) and were also more likely to lose focus or fail to check the details of a communication they receive (46%), all of which could potentially put them at risk of fraud.
Three in five people (59%) state that they are concerned about falling victim to fraud with almost a third of people (31%) reporting to have received an attempted scam over the summer, with one in eight people (12%) receiving two or more.
Speaking about the research findings, Paul Maskall from the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign said:
“We know that being busy and distracted can often mean we are more susceptible to criminals’ fraud attempts. September is a busy time for people as they get back to their daily lives and therefore it’s important to remind ourselves to be alert to fraudsters and to stop and challenge requests that don’t feel right.
“After all, criminals are experts at pretending to be a person or organisation we trust and sometimes try to rush or panic us. My best tip is to follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign and stop and think if someone asks for your money or personal information.”
Advice from the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign advice is to:
- STOP: Taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information could keep you safe.
- CHALLENGE: Could it be fake? It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
- PROTECT: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.
Find out more at takefive-stopfraud.org.uk.