Local community urged to ‘Take Five’ to stop fraud

TSB staff urging people to ‘Take Five’ to stop fraud

People are being urged to ‘Take Five’ to stop fraud.

‘Take Five’ is a banking industry initiative encouraging people to take time to stop, think and check, before making payments and other financial transactions.

The initiative comes at a time when fraud is becoming more elaborate, more sophisticated and more plausible; the latest figures show that financial fraud across cards, online banking and cheques reached £768.8 million in 2016 – around £2,000,000 each day. But banks like TSB are fighting back, with the industry successfully preventing a staggering £1.38 billion of fraud in the same year.

By encouraging people to ‘Take Five’, even more fraudsters could be stopped in their tracks.

TSB Partners have run workshops to help customers beat the fraudsters. This included learning about common tactics such as ‘vishing’ and ‘smishing’, where fraudsters make phone calls or send text messages to unsuspecting victims asking for private information, such as bank details or asking for remote access to a victim’s PC.

TSB also offered five top tips to help people keep their money safe: 

• Never disclose security details, such as your PIN or full banking password.
• Don’t assume an email, text or phone call is authentic.
• Don’t be rushed – a genuine organisation won’t mind waiting.
• Listen to your instincts – you know if something doesn’t feel right.
• Stay in control – don’t panic and make a decision you’ll regret.

Luke Ellis, Area Director for North West England, says: “Our number one priority is protecting our customers’ money, so it was fantastic our branch Partners got the opportunity to talk to customers about fraud and how to avoid being a victim. 

“No one is too smart to be scammed. But by taking time to stop, think and check before making a payment or doing your online banking, we can work together to beat the fraudsters.”