Ad industry and Home Office step in to help young people spot a scam
More than a thousand kids are scammed every month in the UK, so this new campaign from the Home Office and Media Smart (the Advertising Association’s ad literacy programme) has been made to help young people to spot a fraud when they see it.
The message is to trust your instincts and understand that that “Scam flags add up to a scam.” The campaign will be all over social media, with special packs available for use by teachers and parents.
Rachel Barber-Mack, executive director, Media Smart (part of the Advertising Association), said: “This is a vitally important initiative. There is a shared responsibility for all of us in the media and advertising industry to invest in media literacy, it will reap dividends from an educational perspective as well building public trust.”
Security Minister Tom Tugendhat, said: “Fraud is the most prevalent crime in the UK. It’s a sad reality that criminals target young people. I welcome Media Smart’s work to help teenagers spot and report scam adverts as well as their support of our Stop! Think Fraud campaign so we can all detect and avoid fraud.”