Take Five to Stop Fraud

Take Five to Stop Fraud is a UK-wide public education campaign led by UK Finance, the trade association for the UK's banking and finance industry, in partnership with the Home Office, the police, and major banks. The campaign centres on a simple three-step framework: Stop (take a moment before you act), Challenge (ask yourself whether the request is legitimate), and Protect (contact your bank or report to Action Fraud if you are suspicious).

The campaign targets authorised push payment fraud and phone scams, where victims are typically rushed or pressured into making payments. Take Five materials remind consumers that no legitimate bank, government body, or business will ever ask them to move money to a 'safe account', demand payment in gift cards, or insist on immediate action without allowing time for verification.

Consumers can access free resources at takefive-stopfraud.org.uk, including guides on how to verify contacts, how to check whether a website is genuine, and how to report concerns. The campaign does not handle individual fraud reports; consumers who have lost money should contact their bank immediately and then report to Action Fraud at 0300 123 2040 or actionfraud.police.uk.