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Colleagues from the Yorkshire Building Society branch in Sheffield are holding an event to help people learn more about financial fraud and scams, how they can protect themselves, and what to do if they are misled by scammers.

The event, which will take place at the branch on Leopold Street from 12pm-1.30pm on Friday, February 14, is open to members of the public as well as Yorkshire Building Society customers and will include advice on how to spot common types of financial scams. Participants will also be directed to information and tools to help keep them and their money safe. Local PCSOs and community officers from South Yorkshire Police will also be in attendance to give support and information to attendees.

Research from Yorkshire Building Society suggests that almost three-fifths (56%) of UK adults have experienced some form of scam, with online scams being the most common (56%), followed by phishing attacks (55%), and identity theft (20%). Whilst those aged 55+ were the most likely to have been targeted by an online scam (60%), younger people aged 18-34 were the most likely to be deceived. Those who report losing money to a scam said they lost an average of £344, rising to £420 amongst those aged 18–34.

Hannah Bingle, Financial Crime Awareness Specialist at Yorkshire Building Society said: “Most people have come into contact with a financial scam at some point in their lives, and fraudsters are using many different techniques to try and get to people’s information and money.

Colleagues from Yorkshire Building Society's Sheffield branch are holding an event to raise awareness of financial fraud and scams.

“By hosting our fraud and scams awareness session, we hope to reach as many people as possible in Sheffield to help them understand more about this issue and help them protect themselves against scams and financial fraud.

“We’ll be talking about how to spot fraud and scams, actions people can take to keep themselves and their money safe, and what to do if you are worried you have been scammed.”

Yorkshire Building Society is part of the Take Five national campaign led by UK Finance, and backed by the Government, that offers straight-forward and impartial advice to help everyone protect themselves from preventable financial fraud. This includes email deception and phone-based scams as well as online fraud – particularly where criminals impersonate trusted organisations.

For more information on protecting yourself from fraud please visit www.ybs.co.uk/security or www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk

Sheffield event to raise awareness of financial fraud and scams