Technology today allows us to make videos of our pets singing karaoke or generate images of what we’d look like as mermaids in a matter of seconds. This is a great way to spend a Sunday afternoon, but what happens when that same technology ends up in the hands of a fraudster?
In 2024, consumers worldwide were defrauded of an estimated $1 trillion, and those are just the reported cases. Such is the emotional toil of fraud, that many never report the crimes committed against them.
The impact of fraud is certainly growing, and the techniques behind it are evolving just as fast. For instance, you might have got your head around phishing, but have you heard of vishing, smishing, spear phishing or whaling?
Enter the UK’s heroic slayer of scammers!
One person who knows the difference is Becky Holmes, the author of the must-read book: Keanu Reeves is not in Love with You. Becky became an expert in taking down scammers during Covid, when she began responding to the online advances of grammatically challenged gentlemen, a surprising number of whom claimed to be Keanu Reeves. When one of the Keanu’s asks Becky to transfer money or purchase Amazon gift cards, she replies with something like: “Ok. How do I pay? It is easy for me because I am a mythical creature made entirely of sponge.”
By weaponising a fantastically absurd sense of humour, the book shines a powerful spotlight on the manipulative techniques used in romance scams and equips readers with practical ways to spot them.
Her latest book dives into The Future of Fraud, and exposes how the technology we depend upon today is also perfectly poised to exploit us: from social media, the dark web and gaming, to cryptocurrency and AI.
The role of education
While there are challenges on the horizon, it’s not all doom and gloom! In both of Becky Holmes’ books, education emerges as a powerful tool in the fight against fraud. As she puts it: “I’d like it to be specific to the stories scammers use. I want us to be publicly discrediting their stories before they even get to tell them.”
This is a crucial shift. Fraud education can no longer rely on rigid rules or neat absolutes. As scams become more sophisticated, so too must our understanding of them. Education ultimately has to work harder. It has to be current, recognisable and engaging enough to stick.
Enter 2mins!
This is where 2mins comes in.
2mins, MicroFact’s gamified financial education app, is designed to engage individuals with modern techniques used by fraudsters. Rather than relying on long explanations or static guidance, it uses memorable storyboards and bite-sized games to help people recognise scam techniques before they meet them for real.
As technology gets smarter, fraud will too. But with better, more engaging education, we have a strong chance of staying one step ahead.
Want to see what engaging fraud education looks like in practice?
Download 2mins to try our bite-sized games!
