UK Finance and FleishmanHillard

In 2024, UK Finance and FleishmannHillard’s ‘Take Five to Stop Fraud’ campaign revolutionised its approach to fraud prevention with an innovative strategy aimed at training the UK’s ‘stop muscles.’ Led by UK Finance, the campaign leveraged research and insights to address the growing sophistication of fraudsters and ensure continued relevance.

The campaign’s core focus was on driving awareness of the crucial ‘stop’ action, recognising the need to pause before responding to potential scams. With fraud increasingly targeting consumers through various channels, the strategy met audiences where they are most vulnerable. Through a mix of digital, social and traditional media, Take Five executed three key peaks of activity in 2024.

The first peak launched on TikTok with an augmented reality (AR) filter, which quickly became one of the platform’s top 1% of filters. The second phase introduced a unique online quiz, ‘ScamSceptible’, which personalised fraud prevention advice based on daily environmental factors that make people more susceptible to scams.

The final phase saw the launch of the ‘Stop Inn’ pop-up roadshow, where people interacted with mind-reading technology to reinforce the importance of the ‘stop’ action. These exceptional efforts led to engagement, significant media coverage and a record-high recognition of campaign messages.

The omnichannel approach, particularly the TikTok activation, proved pivotal in connecting with younger audiences.