About two in five (43%) people say they trust their spouse or partner the most to be a “safe pair of hands” when protecting their finances, while a quarter say their mother is safest and 23% put most trust in their father, a survey has found.
The research, released by the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, found that among those who take steps to protect themselves from fraud, about half (51%) regularly monitor their bank accounts.
Only one in 11 (9%) speak to those they trust to sense-check requests, just 27% challenge requests and only 39% take time to stop and think.
Take Five said more than £3 million was lost each day on average to financial fraud in the first half of last year.
It said fighting fraud is like a “team sport” and everyone can learn to spot the warning signs of scams and block them before they cause harm.
Catriona Still, spokesperson for Take Five to Stop Fraud, said: “Fraudsters are constantly evolving their tactics, just like tough opponents on the pitch.
“They’ll often try to rush or pressure you, targeting your money or personal information.
“That’s why Take Five is uniting football tactics with fraud prevention – to help people slow down the game, challenge their opponents and be their own safe pair of hands to stop scammers in their tracks.”
Take Five to Stop Fraud is run by banking and finance industry body UK Finance.
The research was published as Take Five Week (May 12 to 18) gets under way.
Take Five is urging people to follow its “stop, challenge, protect” advice:
1. Stop.
Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information. It could keep you safe.
2. Challenge.
Could it be fake? It is OK to reject, refuse or ignore any requests. Only criminals will try to rush or panic you.
3. Protect.
Contact your bank immediately if you think you have been scammed. Scams can be reported to Action Fraud.
Take Five has also launched an interactive online game and encourages people to test their defences to see if they are “match ready” to fight fraud at takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/matchready.
Its survey research among 2,000 people across the UK was carried out by Censuswide in April.
