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Case study

Protecting communities from ‘Friend in need’ messages with WhatsApp

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Organisation type

Private sector

Public sector

Sector

Consumer protection

Service

Behaviour change

Campaigns

Digital

Media relations

Social media

Strategy

Websites

The brief

As a public sector communications agency, Barley was asked by National Trading Standards (NTS) to help raise awareness of a growing wave of ‘friend in need’ scams on WhatsApp — messages that appear to come from friends or family members requesting money or personal information. The objective was clear: equip consumers with simple, actionable steps to protect themselves and reduce the impact of these fast-increasing message-based scams.

Insights and approach

Working closely with NTS and WhatsApp, Barley helped frame the challenge and shape the campaign’s core advice: STOP. THINK. CALL. We provided context and insight into how ‘friend in need’ scams operate, ensuring the public messages were rooted in real behaviours and the evolving consumer protection landscape.

Our team:

  • Developed a bespoke landing page for the Friends Against Scams website to give consumers a trusted place to learn more and take action.
  • Ran a targeted media relations programme, complementing WhatsApp’s outreach and securing major national coverage including BBC News.
  • Provided strategic counsel throughout, reviewing content for TikTok and Instagram to strengthen the consistency, authority and clarity of campaign messaging.

By combining behavioural insight with trusted partners and clear public advice, the campaign delivered a unified and authoritative warning to millions of potential victims.

Results

The integrated campaign achieved significant national traction, helping consumers understand and spot this increasingly common scam. It generated 86 pieces of media coverage across outlets such as BBC News, ITV News, Sky News, Daily Mail, The Sun and Daily Mirror, with NTS’ Head of the Scams Team completing 11 broadcast interviews in one radio day alone.The campaign’s impact extended beyond media. Action Fraud adopted and amplified the messaging, launching their own guidance inspired by the campaign — strengthening consumer protection and extending the reach of the STOP. THINK. CALL. message. In total, a further 130 articles were published across national and regional press.

“

I was deeply impressed with the approach of NTS and their communications team to our recent collaboration, as well as their evident sector expertise and the strategic insights they shared.

From the outset, their detailed knowledge of the consumer protection landscape and their understanding of what makes a strong story in this space – as well as a clear commitment to a productive partnership – helped shape the campaign and secure more than 80 pieces of media coverage to warn consumers about scams.

They have since introduced us to Action Fraud to help extend and amplify the campaign. I would certainly recommend considering a partnership with NTS to help bolster scam prevention initiatives, which are increasingly important across our industry.

Alison Bonny

Head of Communications EMEA, WhatsApp Inc

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