Call comes as Take Five Week kicks off Local MP Rebecca Pow is joining the call this week for constituents to Take Five to Stop Fraud. Take Five Week – running from Monday 22ndto Friday 26th January – has been created to help empower people to protect themselves against financial fraud. This includes phone-based scams, email and text message scams as well as online fraud. Financial Fraud Action UK figures indicate there were over 1.8 million incidents of financial fraud last year, impacting people right across the country – including in Taunton Deane.

To address this Take Five Week brings together banks and building societies, local law enforcement, the Government and MPs, as well as public and third sector organisations to give advice to the public. Events and activity to support the Week will be happening across Taunton Deane.

Commenting, Rebecca Pow said: “Criminals are now very sophisticated, so it is more important than ever that people are aware of the advice from Take Five on how to protect themselves from becoming a victim. Fraudsters will do all they can to appear like the real deal, so always be on your guard for any calls, texts or emails out of the blue asking for your details. During Take Five Week we want to get the message across that it’s vital to stop and think before you give away any information.”

Take Five urges customers to help stay safe from fraud by following simple advice:

•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.

•Don’t be tricked into giving a fraudster access to your personal or financial details. Never automatically click on a link in an unexpected email or text.

•Always question uninvited approaches in case it’s a scam. Instead, contact the company directly using a known email or phone number.

For more information and advice visit www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk