FirstBank launches public service campaign to prevent fraud
FirstBank announced the launch of the second phase of its “#Don’tFallforTallTales” public service campaign to educate the community, through digital media, about how to detect the most common types of scams and avoid falling for them.
The campaign seeks to help counteract the uptick in fraud scheme incidents through email, text and telephone calls, as well as the multimillion-dollar losses linked to these schemes. The report by the FTC’s Consumer Sentinel Network revealed that, in 2022, 3,351 consumers in Puerto Rico reported being victims of fraud, with total losses ascending to more than $7.3 million.
FirstBank stated it created the campaign as its creative concept which plays with the double meaning encompassed by the word “tale” and appeals to people of all ages given that fraud affects everyone.
The campaign frames two “tales” of common scams within two classic folktales that have been popular among children in every generation: “Little Red Riding Hood” and “Aladdin.”
The digital renditions show the antagonist of each tale trying to get the main character to fall for his trap. Red flags are used in each story to identify the potential scam and the information that scammers tend to request in their “tales,” alerting consumers to never provide this information in the event they are faced with a similar “tale” in real life.
Advertising agency KIS headed the campaign, which featured the participation of illustrator José Pablo Rijos, who developed graphic materials and videos that visually merge tale with reality to effectively convey the message.
Each tale presents the most common types of fraud scams on the island (text, telephone and email) and provides advice on how to detect and avoid them. The campaign also includes blog posts with tips on how to protect consumers from several scams and forms of fraud.
“We want to raise awareness among consumers and help them avoid scams. This educational campaign was created in digital format with the aim of reaching the greatest number of people possible through Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram, which we know are the platforms Puerto Ricans use most,” said Wanda Betancourt, senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications at FirstBank.
“We’re hoping the creative concept will draw people’s attention, leading them to share it with their friends on social media to reach a broader audience and try to reduce cases of fraud,” she said.
Meanwhile, Iván Marrero, senior vice president and director of banking operations at FirstBank, said the campaign is a response to the need to educate the public about a problem that is rapidly spreading across all age groups and requires attention.
“Today, more than ever, we must be on the alert for new fraud schemes that are taking place through text messages, email and telephone calls. Every day, we see how scammers become more and more creative, and fraud statistics continue to rise,” he said.
“Identity theft increasingly affects more of the people we know and more of our inner circles, and we must raise awareness about this. At FirstBank, we care about our customers, and with this campaign we reaffirm our commitment to contribute to the solution and, together, prevent fraud,” Marrero added.
