• Three quarters of people who speak English as a second language say criminals have tried to trick them into sharing financial or personal information in 2024, new survey from the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign has found.
• The Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign aims to deliver clear, accessible information that empowers these communities to stay vigilant and protect themselves from fraud.
• Take Five reminds people of the importance of taking a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information.

In the first half of 2024 over £570 million was stolen by criminals through fraud. UK Finance’s Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign is warning those who speak English as a second language (ESL) to stay alert to fraudulent requests for their money and personal information.

Research by the Take Five campaign reveals that three quarters (73%) of people who speak English as a second language have faced criminals trying to trick them into sharing their financial or personal information in 2024.

Take Five’s core message is to “Stop, Challenge, and Protect” when asked for your money or information. The public are encouraged to pause before making decisions, challenge suspicious communications, and protect themselves and others by reporting any fraud to their bank.

The research also found that while most people surveyed were aware of the risks of fraud, they were not all aware of where it most commonly occurs. Less than half (48 per cent) of those who speak English as a second language believe criminals would use messages or posts on social media to trick people into sending them money. However UK Finance figures show that nearly three quarters (72 per cent) of all authorised push payment fraud cases are enabled by online sources.

Paul Maskall, from Take Five to Stop Fraud, comments: “Fraud causes serious harm to society and  severe financial and psychological harm to victims. It’s important that everyone knows the steps to take to protect themselves from these awful crimes.

“This is why Take Five is reaching out to people who speak English as second language or know of a friend of family member who does. Always follow the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to stop, challenge and protect to help keep yourself safe.”

To help support those with English as a second language, Take Five has translated its ‘Stop, Challenge and Protect’ advice into Urdu and Punjabi. Urdu and Punjabi were selected as they are two of the most-widely spoken foreign languages in the UK.

Criminals may try to deceive you into making payments to them. They may also try to trick you into sharing your information with them – such as your name, date of birth, address, bank account details, passwords or passcodes.

It can be difficult to tell whether something is a scam, and criminals are experts at creating fake scenarios to gain your trust – or get you to let your guard down.

To protect yourself from scams, we encourage you to follow the advice of the ‘Take Five to Stop Fraud’ campaign:

Stop: Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money and information.

Challenge: Ask yourself – could it be fake? Ask someone you trust for a second opinion. It’s ok to reject, refuse or ignore any requests.

Protect: Contact your bank immediately if you think you’ve fallen for a scam and report it to Action Fraud.

Find out more about how to stay safe from scams at: takefive-stopfraud.org.uk

ENDS

Notes to editor:

1. UK Finance Fraud Report 2024
2. Research conducted by Censuswide between [dates] 2024, polling 500 UK based adults who do not identify as having English as their first language. Censuswide abides by and employs members of the Market Research Society which is based on the ESOMAR principles.
3. Find out more about Take Five: https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/

• Take Five to Stop Fraud is a national campaign that offers straightforward and impartial advice to help everyone protect themselves from preventable financial fraud.

• Take Five is run by UK Finance. UK Finance is the collective voice for the banking and finance industry. Representing more than 300 firms across the industry, it acts to enhance competitiveness, support customers and facilitate innovation.
• In an authorised push payment scam, a criminal will trick their victim into sending money directly from their account to an account which the criminal controls.