I’m Taking Five with My Five Year Old Twins this Father’s Day in support of FFA UKs Take Five campaign.

I have been sitting down with my twin girls and talking about fraud especially in the family home this Father’s Day. I asked them if they could draw me something that would be able to prevent tricks being played upon people.

This is what they came up with. They both drew uuperheros. The first one is called Superhero Tom and has a cape and belt. My other twin girl drew a superhero and called it Superhero Chris, who has a sword to stop tricks being played on people. Oh, to have the imagination of a child!

Have you thought how often you have been duped by your kids into giving them money or allowing them to get away with things they shouldn’t?

Well just like children, financial fraud doesn’t take time off. It’s on the go 24/7. This Father’s Day FFA UK is encouraging men all over the country to be very aware on Father’s Day, because the best fraudsters take advantage when we are at our most vulnerable.

To show how easily men are being tricked, the FFA UK did some research to 1,000 children aged 6-12 years to show how easy it is to trick their dads.

The five most popular ways children used to trick their dads were:

1. Smiling very sweetly (41%)

2. Giving dad  a hug (40%)

3. Saying please and thank you (35%)

4. Making Dad laugh (20%)

5. Saying how well they have done at school (15%)

What is interesting is that most kids are not doing this alone. They usually team up with mum to trick dad. I imagine most dads have heard their children say “Mum said I could” (43%) or “Mum always lets me”(33%). I f course all this shows is that kids are getting clever at playing mum against dad to achieve what they want.

Amazingly most men believe they are unlikely to be a victim of financial fraud, but many men are a push over where financial fraud is involved.

National figures show that 31% get caught every year. In fact over two thirds of men believe it couldn’t possibly happen to them, they actually think they know when somebody is trying to financially scam them, and know how to avoid it.

This Father’s Day the FFA UK is asking the public to help protect themselves from financial fraud, by just remembering some very simple advice.

1. You should never disclose any security details, such as your PIN number or full banking password.

2. Never assume an email, text or a phone call is authentic.

3. Never be rushed into anything a genuine and reputable organisation will never mind waiting.

4. Always listen to your instincts, it will always tell you if something doesn’t feel right.

5. Most importantly always stay in control, never panic and end up making a decision you will regret.

For more information visit www.financialfraudaction.org.uk

This is a collaborative post.