NatWest has announced the launch of ‘All Mod Cons’ – a unique family friendly board game which aims to smash conversational taboos around family finances and educate the British public about modern scams – just in time for Christmas.
NatWest has launched the game with a striking Christmas-ad style video starring Jeff Brazier and his son Freddie. The Braziers arrive to bring the festive spirit to a bored family and introduce the game, before events take a dark turn, as the realities of falling victim to fraud takes its toll on the players.
The ad-style video pays homage to both the classic seasonal board game adverts of the 1990s and the stark public service announcements of the same period.
The board game, which will be available to play in select NatWest branches, was created by a team of game developers in partnership with the Bank’s fraud team, following research which revealed that 67% of British adults would like to learn more about how scammers operate and the different type of scams to help avoid falling victim. NatWest’s research reveals that 13% of British adults have lost money to scams in the past 12 months and seven in 10 of us are targeted by scams, on average, three times a week.
All Mod Cons is a game for 4-6 people where players make their way around the board with the aim of holding onto their money whilst avoiding the scams they encounter along the way. The game draws on NatWest data and aims to encourage family discussions and equip players with crucial information on how to detect, avoid and report different kinds of scams in real life.
NatWest research identified the most prevalent scams which all feature in the game. The most popular being phishing, vishing and smishing scams (37%) – receiving fake emails, calls or messages from what seems to be a legitimate source asking you to provide personal or financial information, impersonation scams (21%) – scammers contacting you from trusted organisations (such as HMRC) saying something is wrong with your account or that you owe a fine or similar and finally, refund scams (13%). This is where criminals impersonate an organisation saying you’re due a refund and asking you to share personal information.
Other popular cons in the last 12 months included romance scams, crypto refund swindles, get rich quick schemes and purchase scams.
According to new NatWest research, Christmas is one of the busiest times of the year for scammers, with 17% of British adults reporting that they receive more approaches by scammers around the festive time of the year. The number of purchase scams reported by customers is up by 41% around this time, and 44% of those surveyed admitted that they worry one misstep with a scammer could result in Christmas being ruined.
Despite the frequency of people being targeted by scams and the serious consequences that come with falling for one, NatWest’s research found that 42% of British adults admit they either rarely, or never discuss fraud and financial scams at home, yet three quarters (73%) of people believe that doing so would help them avoid falling victim to a scammer and a further 69% believe it will help people become more clued up on new scams doing the rounds.
The board game aims to break down these conversational barriers to make fraud and scams a family topic around the table this festive season. Indeed, NatWest research revealed that a quarter of British adults (25%) would feel uncomfortable confiding in family if they had been scammed and lost money, and despite the complexity and subtlety of scams improving, of those who had been scammed 57% blamed themselves and a further 52% said they felt embarrassed.
35% of British adults know someone who has fallen victim to a financial scam, and of those who had, 36% said it had caused them to worry about their finances.
Stuart Skinner, fraud expert from NatWest, who commissioned the game after its own data showed an increase in the number of scams that customers were being targeted with, said: “The festive season is a time to spend with family having fun, but the fun can quickly end if one of you is hit by a scam. Our ‘All Mod Cons’ campaign has been created to help increase knowledge of scams by getting people talking and learning about them, which is a major step in combatting them.”
He continued, “Of course it’s concerning to see the modern developments from scammers to con people out of their money – however, your bank is continually working to stay on top of latest developments and keep you safe. At NatWest we always encourage customers to get in touch directly if they have any concerns.”
All Mod Cons: The Board game features in a Christmas ad-style video presented by TV personality Jeff Brazier which doubles up as a public service announcement to remind people to be wary of scammers, particularly during the holidays.
Jeff Brazier said: “My favourite part of Christmas is spending time with family. Amidst the holiday hustle and financial pressures, it’s important to have open conversations with your loved ones about recognising scams and staying vigilant against them. NatWest’s All Mod Cons campaign is all about raising awareness of the different types of scams and sparking those all-important conversations. The board game itself is the perfect way to combine the Christmas tradition of playing board games with loved ones whilst offering a fun way to learn about fraud and scam prevention.
“Christmas is the season of giving, and the most valuable gift I can give my family is the knowledge of how to safeguard themselves from scams and to help ensure their financial security.”
Copies of the board game will be available to play at selected NatWest branches from 1 December.
