Take Five to Stop Fraud roadshow comes to intu Trafford Centre.

Part of the Take Five to Stop Fraud Week, the campaign will show new research that shows people could be leaving themselves vulnerable to financial fraud by being confident in their ability to spot a scam.

Backed by financial institutions and the Government, the campaign found four in five (80 per cent) people said they could confidently identify a fraudulent approach.

However, after 63,000 individuals from across the UK took part in a Too Smart To Be Scammed? quiz and test, only 9 per cent of those answered all eight questions correctly.

Figures from UK Finance showed that £366.4 million was lost to financial fraud in the first half of 2017, with a further £101.2 million lost through authorised transfer scams.

Commenting on the findings, Katy Worobec, managing director of economic crime at UK Finance said: “Criminals are using very sophisticated methods, so it’s more important than ever that people are aware of how to protect themselves from fraud. During Take Five to Stop Fraud Week we want to spread the message that you should always question any calls, texts or emails asking for your details out of the blue. Stop and think before you give away any information, no matter how legitimate the person sounds – and remember – it’s my money? My info? I don’t think so. If you are unsure, then hang up and don’t reply and contact the organisation directly on a number you trust.”

The roadshow will give people the opportunity to speak with fraud prevention experts for more in-depth advice and the chance to tell their stories about fraud and scams.

Detective Inspector Karen Ryan from Greater Manchester Police added: “Online fraud and criminality is an ever increasing risk in Greater Manchester and we are absolutely committed to disrupting those who commit offences, working with partners to catch criminals from outside the region targeting our residents and also preventing people from falling victim. But everyone can play a part.

“Please take five to think about what you do and what you respond to online – if you have any concerns you can call us on 101, or 999 in an emergency, or you can report it directly to the National Fraud & Cyber Crime Reporting Centre on 0300 123 2040.”

To help consumers protect themselves the Take Five campaign has issued three key pieces of advice:

1. A genuine bank or organisation will never contact you out of the blue to ask for your PIN, full password or to move money to another account. Only give out your personal or financial details to use a service that you have given your consent to, that you trust and that you are expecting to be contacted by.

2. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.

3. If you’re approached with a request for personal information, don’t provide it. Instead, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number.

To find out more about Take Five visit www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk