Jessica Erobomhan
Access Bank has launched the Spot the Scam Initiative, a nationwide fraud awareness campaign designed to equip young teenagers and students aged 12 to 19 with the knowledge to recognise and resist financial scams.
Speaking at the event, Chief Conduct and Compliance Officer of Access Bank, Solomon Abiakalam, said the main target for fraud are young people
“Frauds they all target young people, all of them they target young people to either make them victims or to make them perpetrator, they have a special interest in young people, and that’s why they rebuilding their armies over the years,” he said
Solomon described financial crimes as non-violent yet often more destructive than physical violence. Citing the bank’s corporate mantra, he declared Access Bank’s resolve to raise a generation that remains unbent, unbowed and unbroken in the face of pressure to engage in or fall prey to fraud.
The initiative is said to have two main components. The first is a nationwide education drive open to schools across Nigeria, Students can enrol through their schools or as independent learners on a dedicated digital platform that features interactive quizzes, scam or legitgames, leaderboards and progress tracking. The goal is to turn participants into scam busters.
Speakers emphasised the critical role of parents they said Homes, must remain safe spaces where children can report online experiences without fear of shame or judgement.
The bank plans to expand engagement with parents and teachers as the programme develops.
According to the executive’s What distinguishes the initiative, is its focus on the age group most aggressively targeted by those recruiting for fraud, trafficking and other crimes that feed money laundering.