Stephen McPartland, Member of Parliament for Stvenage is highlighting the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign, created to help empower people to protect themselves against financial fraud.

Stephen McPartland, MP for Stevenage, said, “Criminals are now very sophisticated, so it is more important than ever that people are aware of how to protect themselves from becoming a victim. We want to get the message across that it is vital to stop and think before you give away any information.”

Rimal Shah, Assistant Branch Manager, HSBC UK, said, “Keeping our customers safe from fraud is a top priority so we are delighted to support the Take Five campaign. Customers should feel empowered to say ‘no’ to a request that they are not 100 per cent confident about. The trouble is it is easy to forget what information you should and shouldn’t provide, and this is why we’re asking everyone to take five minutes – stop and think – give yourself time to not become a victim.”

Financial Fraud Action UK figures indicate there were over 1.8 million incidents of financial fraud last year. To address this, Take Five campaign brings together the banking industry, Government and public and third sector organisations to raise awareness of financial crime and how to keep your money safe.

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

Click here if you would like to help Stephen make a difference