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Eyes down! Age UK Wandsworth hosts “Scams Bingo” to help protect older people from fraud!

Published on 15 March 2023 12:38 PM

We have teamed up with UK Finance's Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign to host a free- to-play Scams Bingo game to support local older people to protect themselves against fraud and scams.

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, which is obviously incredibly detrimental to older people on low incomes.

In response to this threat, Take Five has developed a Scams Bingo game to help older people learn about the most common types of fraud and scams. Our Scams Advisers at Age UK Wandsworth took on the challenge and local members and attendees enjoyed 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

Our clients also learned 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 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 Scams Bingo pack and ‘how to’ guide for the game is available from Take Five to Stop Fraud: https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/toolkit/

You can find out more about Age UK Wandsworth's Scams Prevention service here.