NatWest has launched a seasonal advent calendar as part of a campaign to warn the public of the dangers of purchase scams this holiday shopping season.
The Scamvent calendar, which will be available in selected branches, features 12 doors and finely crafted artisan chocolates, each representing one of the 12 most common purchase scams the public are likely to encounter this festive period.
Research commissioned by the bank showed that 31% of adults are anxious they’ll fall for a scam when doing their present buying, with 92% of purchase scams linked to online purchases.
Stuart Skinner, fraud expert from NatWest, said: “We all know that now is the time of year when a lot of us will be shopping; either for a Black Friday deal or getting ahead of our Christmas shopping list.
“We want the UK public to feel confident in taking action today to keep their money safe, so we’re reminding everyone to watch out for purchase scams.”
The bank’s twist on the traditional advent calendar aims to arm British adults with the knowledge and top tips they need to shop safely this Christmas after new research revealed 41% of British adults are approached by scammers more during November and December.
In addition to being an educational tool, the NatWest Scamvent calendar will also include chocolates, designed by chocolatier Jen Lindsey-Clark each representing one of the purchase scams.
To activate the campaign the bank has teamed up with Hannah Byczkowski and Wilf Webster from Series 1 of ‘The Traitors’ to launch a new scam awareness video.
Drawing on their own experiences of navigating deception and trust on the show, Hannah and Wilf have flipped the script and are now helping to educate the public about the dangers of fraudulent online purchases, especially during the holiday season.
Hannah explains in the video that “Every calendar comes with expert tips to help you spot and avoid popular festive scams. So, don’t let scammers take a bite out of your finances this festive season.”
The 12 purchases most at risk of being a scam, according to data from people who have themselves been targeted by a scam, or know someone else who has are: phones, tickets, online vouchers, laptops and tablets, clothing, home tech appliances, jewellery , video games, cars and other vehicles, watches, luxury handbags and trainers and shoes.