CHELSEA PENSIONERS JOIN THE FIGHT AGAINST FRAUD, URGING BRITS TO TELL SCAMMERS TO “PUSH OFF, POLITELY”

New research from Santander reveals that British politeness could be hindering the fight against scammers. The research finds that Brits receive more than a staggering 150 million suspicious calls a week, with 60% reporting that they have received more calls since March 2020. In response, the bank has teamed up with the iconic Chelsea Pensioners, to empower Brits to say, ‘Push Off, Politely’ to suspicious callers.

Since the outbreak of the pandemic criminals have taken advantage of people being at home more, targeting would be victims with scam phone calls. Notably, nearly half of Brits (47%) report receiving three or more of these calls per week, with almost a quarter of Brits (23%) receiving at least five. And one in ten people are targeted at least once a day.

Santander’s fraud experts advise that the best way to deal with a suspicious call is to simply hang up, but almost half (47%) of Brits fail to do so. One in five say hanging up is impolite, even if the caller is a scammer! A further 20% say they feel obliged to stay on the line to hear the caller out. The research comes as Santander’s fraud experts warn that giving a scam caller the opportunity to engage in conversation can lead to disastrous consequences.

In Santander’s research, 89% of over 65s said that they were confident in spotting and dealing with suspicious calls. Conversely, only 38% of Gen Z (18-24 year olds) said they feel very confident dealing with scam callers and 54% said they have been scammed by a cold caller. Moreover, 68% of Gen Z consider it rude to hang up on a scammer if they’re nice or polite, whereas savvy seniors don’t fall for the act, with only 4% considering it rude to hang up on cold callers.

In response, Santander has partnered with veterans from Royal Hospital Chelsea to empower Brits to set their politeness aside when it comes to scam calls. Donning their iconic scarlet uniforms, the Chelsea Pensioners perform a united rendition of the classic wartime song ‘Good-bye-ee!’ and have some choice words for scam callers.

Dave Lowe, Head of Fraud at Santander, says: “Nearly half of the people who have fallen victim to a cold calling scam said they were tricked by someone who was friendly and polite. That’s why the Chelsea Pensioners’ advice is so important. The best way to stop a scammer is not to let them sweet talk you into doing something you might regret – whether that’s sharing too much information or transferring money.

“We’re proud to partner with the Chelsea Pensioners in our fight against scam callers. As an iconic institution of British politeness who better to share the message that when you get a cold call, put your manners aside and simply hang up the phone.”