Crime fiction meets real-world fraud as authors assist to lift consciousness of scams

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Your help makes all of the distinction. Learn extra Acclaimed authors have tapped into the UK’s love of crime fiction to assist expose how scams work in actual life.

Crime writers Clare Waterproof coat, Vaseem Khan and CL (Cally) Taylor have joined forces with UK Finance’s Take 5 to Cease Fraud marketing campaign to create a trilogy of quick tales full of plot twists and purple herrings.

In addition to maintaining readers guessing, the “learn between the lies” tales are designed to assist shield folks from scams with gripping tales exposing the fraud traps that may be laid by criminals.

In accordance with the marketing campaign, greater than £1.17 billion was recorded stolen via fraud in 2024, making it a standard crime risk.

Launching for Take 5 Week 2026, the tales are impressed by actual fraud techniques and encourage readers to use the identical instincts detectives use in crime books, on tv and podcasts to on a regular basis conditions.

The tales embrace chilly callers, pressing fee requests and conditions that will or is probably not all they seem.

The authors labored with the Devoted Card and Cost Crime Unit (DCPCU) to assist them perceive how crimes unfold in actual life, and the emotional affect they've on victims.

Every story focuses on “frequent and devastating scams”. This contains romance scams, which resulted in £20.5 million in losses within the first half of 2025, funding scams, with £97.7 million stolen over the identical interval, and impersonation scams, with £45.1 million in losses.

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Ms Waterproof coat, who's a former Thames Valley Police inspector in addition to a criminal offense creator, mentioned: “I’ve seen the devastation brought on by fraud, however I’ve additionally seen the affect crime prevention recommendation can have.

“Fraud is such a widespread concern – and, identical to in one in all my thrillers, recognizing it's typically about noticing the small clues. This marketing campaign is about serving to folks decelerate, query what they’re being informed, and really feel extra assured recognizing when one thing isn’t proper.”

Mr Khan mentioned: “This marketing campaign is near my coronary heart as a result of I’ve skilled impersonation fraud, so I do know simply how unsettling it may be.

“I additionally perceive the ability of storytelling – and the way we are able to use it to point out strange folks the techniques behind these scams in order that they’re higher geared up to identify the indicators and shield themselves.”

Ms Taylor mentioned: “I used to be actually drawn to this marketing campaign due to the ability of crime fiction and the way a lot folks like it.

“It’s a style that naturally encourages readers to query what’s occurring and search for clues. Utilizing that intuition to assist folks perceive fraud looks like a very efficient option to make the recommendation stick and assist folks really feel extra assured recognizing scams.”

Jess Prepare dinner, spokesperson for Take 5 to Cease Fraud mentioned: “Scammers are always evolving their techniques, utilizing more and more refined strategies to catch folks off guard and exploit belief.

“By partnering with crime writers, we’re bringing these techniques to life in a approach that feels relatable and interesting – serving to folks recognise the warning indicators and reminding them that by stopping, difficult and defending, they can assist stop fraud.”