Source · Select Committees · Public Accounts Committee
Recommendation 8
8
Accepted
We also raised concerns in 2017 about the effectiveness of the flagship “Take Five” awareness...
Conclusion
We also raised concerns in 2017 about the effectiveness of the flagship “Take Five” awareness campaign. Take Five was introduced by Financial Fraud Action UK (now part of UK Finance) in September 2016 and was backed by funding from the Department between September 2017 and March 2020.14 It was intended to be an overarching awareness campaign, delivering consistent messaging for the public on fraud, such as the need to have the right passwords in place and to report fraud quickly if it occurs. The NCA admitted that the messages of Take Five had “not really cut through”, although the Department said it was difficult to measure the overall impact. The NCA’s recent research concluded that the current campaigns had not changed behaviour. Take Five was ranked 6th out of the 13 campaigns running, with only 8% of the public recognising the campaign. The NCA told us that, following this research, it was analysing the experiences of those who are victims of fraud to identify where it can best intervene to prevent fraud. It told us that it was producing a “fraud communications toolkit” which was intended to provide authoritative analysis on how frauds happen and the messages that need to be communicated to protect people from fraud. It also committed to developing a new overarching awareness campaign which it hoped would resonate better than Take Five.15 11 Public Accounts Committee, Sixth Report of Session 2017–19, The growing threat from online fraud, HC 399 12 Written correspondence from Graeme Biggar, Director General of the NCA dated 15 December 2022 13 Q 57; C&AG’s Report, para 6 14 C&AG’s Report, Online fraud, Session 2017–19, HC 45, 30 June 2017 15 Qq 52, 54; Written correspondence from Graeme Biggar, Director General of the NCA dated 15 December 2022 Progress combatting fraud 11 2 Investigating and prosecuting fraud Action Fraud
Government Response Summary
The government has established a fraud focused strategic communications team to improve consistency in messaging and establish what communication interventions are most effective. It will also launch and evaluate a new cross government campaign.
Government Response
Accepted
HM Government
Accepted
2. PAC conclusion: Despite fraud being the most common crime in England and Wales, government’s communications with the public are still not effective. 2. PAC recommendation: The Department should set out, as part of its Treasury Minute response, how it will use the results of the National Crime Agency’s (NCA’s) research to improve the coherence and impact of its public awareness campaigns on fraud and how it will measure the impact of future campaigns. 2.1 The government agrees with this recommendation. Target implementation date: Ongoing until spring 2025 2.2 The government has established a fraud focussed strategic communications team at the National Economic Crime Centre (NECC) in the National Crime Agency (NCA) to work across sectors to improve consistency in messaging and establish what communication interventions are most effective and amplify them. The team are undertaking audience insight and behavioural science research. This evidence base will ensure that campaigns can target the right audiences, with the right messages, in the most meaningful way. The research will allow the government to launch and evaluate a new cross government campaign, with clear baselines and metrics for measuring impact. 2.3 The NECC are also working to improve consistency in messaging across stakeholders. They have produced a toolkit to provide organisations with guidance on how to align communications to provide more simple messages to the public. 2.4 City of London Police are also setting up a National Fraud Protect Network. This will be a centrally co-ordinated policing network that will deliver protect advice across the country in line with the communications toolkit. 2.5 The NECC additionally works with stakeholders to produce a forward look calendar, highlighting where campaigns are running simultaneously, enabling stakeholders to coordinate better.