Take Five

Eyes down! Age UK Surrey hosts Scam Bingo to help protect older people from fraud

Age UK Surrey recently teamed up with UK Finance’s Take Five to Stop Fraud to host a free-to-play Scam Bingo game to support local older people to protect themselves against fraud and scams.

When: April 5th and 6th at 11am
Where: The Clockhouse Community Centre, Chapel Lane, Milford GU8 5EZ

Research conducted for UK Finance’s Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign shows that 87 per cent of over-65s say they are confident about spotting the signs of fraud, although only 20 per cent have heard of all the five most prevalent types of authorised push payment (APP) fraud. The survey showed that the average loss for a fraud victim in the UK is £1,381.

In response to this threat, Take Five has developed a free-to-play Scam Bingo game to help people learn about the most common types of fraud and scams.

Age UK Surrey took on the challenge and local members and attendees will enjoy how the game transforms some traditional ‘bingo lingo’ to help people watch out for approaches from fraudsters, for example:

• Knock at the door #4 Ignore suspicious requests for your personal and financial information
• Unlucky for some #13 Don’t let criminals get lucky with your money
• Up to tricks. #46 Criminals will use tactics to con you into making an ‘urgent’ payment

Players will also learn the straight-forward and impartial advice from Take Five to Stop Fraud which can help people protect themselves from financial fraud:

• STOP: Take a moment to stop and think before parting with your money or information that 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.

A free Scam Bingo pack and ‘how to’ guide for the game is available from Take Five to Stop Fraud: https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/toolkit/

Katy Worobec, Managing Director of Economic Crime at UK Finance, said:

“While our research shows over-65s say they are confident about spotting fraud and scams, it is crucial to understand the changing tactics criminals use to convince people they are legitimate. That is why we've created Scam Bingo to empower people to challenge all unexpected requests for their information – it’s a fun way to connect and learn how to protect ourselves from fraud and scams. It is important to remember the advice of the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign and to stop and think when faced with requests for payment or personal and financial information.”