Launching for Take Five Week 2026, Read Between the Lies uses the power of storytelling to bring fraud prevention to life – tapping into the nation’s love of crime fiction to expose how scams really work. Each story is inspired by real fraud tactics and encourages readers to ‘think like a detective’ and apply the same instincts they use in crime books, TV and podcasts to everyday situations.
From unexpected messages to urgent payment requests and deals that sound too good to be true, scams often follow particular patterns and apply pressure. However, the campaign aims to show that, just like in crime fiction, the clues are there and can be uncovered if you know what to look for.
Fraud is the UK’s most common crime
Fraud now accounts for over 40% of all reported crime in the UK, with an estimated 4.15 million incidents affecting individuals each year – making it the single biggest crime…
IT & DATA SECURITY (MITIGATING THE “INSIDER THREAT”)
As seen in the TD Bank case, an employee with too much “access” can sell your customer data to syndicates.
- Principle of Least Privilege (PoLP): Employees should only have access to the specific folders and databases required for their current task.
- Access Revocation: Have a “Termination Checklist” that ensures all digital access (Email, VPN, Banking) is revoked within 60 minutes of an employee resigning or being dismissed.
- System Logs & Audit Trails: Enable “Read/Write Logging” on your server. If a customer’s data is leaked, you need to know exactly which login accessed that record and at what time.
- Encryption at Rest: Ensure that sensitive files (like your customer ID numbers or payroll spreadsheets) are encrypted so that if a staff member copies them to a USB, they cannot be read.