The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) has launched a humorous advert and wider campaign designed to help consumers protect themselves against financial crime by checking whether firms are authorised before investing.
The campaign promotes the FCA’s Firm Checker tool, which allows consumers to confirm whether a firm is authorised and has the correct permissions to offer specific financial services. By encouraging people to make checking a default behaviour, the regulator aims to significantly reduce the number of consumers falling victim to scams.
According to FCA research, around 800,000 people reported losing money to investment or pensions-related scams in the 12 months to May 2024, underlining the scale of the problem the campaign is seeking to address.
At the heart of the activity is a 30-second television advert titled ‘Seal the deal’, which uses humour to deliver a serious message. The advert follows a man on a bus who is about to respond to an advert promising “invest today, retire tomorrow” when a seal suddenly appears and knocks the phone from his hand.
The seal goes on to interrupt other scenarios, including a man on the toilet and a woman working at her desk, each time preventing a hasty financial decision.
The advert ends with a clear call to action, urging viewers to “before you seal the deal, check if it’s real” by confirming a firm’s authorisation on the FCA’s website.
The creative approach was tested with target audiences and was found to be both instantly engaging and memorable. The FCA said the humour helped strike a balance between conveying the seriousness of financial crime while ensuring the message cuts through, with the tagline proving particularly effective in recall testing.
The campaign will run in planned bursts over the next five years, aligning with the FCA’s wider strategy to reduce financial harm. It will be delivered across radio, television, social media, online advertising and through partnerships with firms.
Alongside consumer-facing advertising, the FCA is encouraging authorised firms to support the campaign by sharing its message with staff, clients and customers. A toolkit has also been created for firms, including campaign copy and social media assets, to help amplify awareness of Firm Checker and promote safer financial decision-making.
The regulator hopes that widespread adoption of the tool will help consumers spot warning signs earlier and avoid scams before money changes hands.