UK shoppers have bought almost 100 million items on the back of glowing online reviews – only to be bitterly disappointed when they arrive, and 6.4 million have lost money to a scam after buying something from clicking on a fake online advert, according to new data released by National Trading Standards (NTS) ahead of Black Friday and Cyber Monday.

The research found that reviews are a deciding factor for 54% of online shoppers surveyed when choosing what to buy (73% for 25-34s). And almost two thirds (65%) of those using online reviews are more likely to buy a product if it has a five-star rating – highlighting our trust in reviews, many of which are fuelling criminal networks selling poor quality or non-existent goods for easy money.

NTS is warning how criminals use paid individuals, bots and now artificial intelligence (AI) to generate fake reviews on a mass scale – sometimes even entire websites. Consumers will either receive nothing, or they’ll get a bad quality item or a counterfeit of the brand they were expecting.  

The research also found that 14% of respondents who shop online have been scammed after buying something from clicking on an advert on search engines or social media. With only 52% of online shoppers confident they could spot a fake or misleading ad, NTS is reminding UK consumers to be vigilant against the annual Black Friday boom in scam adverts designed to lure customers in with glossy graphics and tempting offers.

This year, a new threat has emerged, with two thirds of online shoppers worried about the use of AI in scams. Not only are fake reviews being posted on legitimate sites using AI, criminals are generating entire fake review websites. These are usually linked to specific high demand products such as air fryers or home vacuums, where generic versions are heralded as being better than the big brands – leaving consumers out of pocket, and sorely disappointed. 

As criminal tactics evolve, NTS is also now regularly taking down AI-generated retail websites that look like real, family-run companies selling premium, UK-made products, such as jewellery, clothing, shoes, workwear and even patriotic memorabilia. These are often fronted by AI images and personal stories of the ‘owners’. The product shipped is cheap, mass produced in countries such as China. Sometimes customers’ own details are then used on the sites’ contact pages, meaning they receive irate calls and messages from other customers.   

To help tackle the criminals and keep consumers safe, NTS is today announcing its appointment as a ‘trusted flagger’ for Google. This status means NTS can work swiftly with the tech giant to take down fake reviews and fake and misleading ads.   

Mike Andrews, head of the National Trading Standards eCrime Team, said:  

“It’s easy to get drawn in by the hype surrounding Black Friday, and it can be a great time to get a bargain, but we urge people not to let their guard down. From now until Christmas the criminals will be making a killing with scams that are becoming ever more audacious thanks to the emergence of AI.  

“Our teams will be working tirelessly to remove fake retail content, but we also ask shoppers to remain alert. They should look wider than reviews and star ratings, avoid buying through ads and treat unknown websites with caution. If people suspect they have been scammed they should report it to Action Fraud or Citizen’s Advice.” 

On the new partnership with Google, Mike Andrews said:  

“Fake reviews and fake and misleading adverts harm honest businesses of all sizes and cause financial loss and distress for consumers. Our appointment as a Google ‘trusted flagger’ is a reflection of our team’s expertise in disrupting the activities of online criminals. By supporting Google with the swift removal of fake reviews and ads on its platforms we look forward to making an even greater impact in the fight against scams and fraud.”  

Fake reviews alone are estimated to influence an estimated £23bn of UK consumer spending every year***. With this money diverted to the criminals, and entire websites springing up that claim to be family-run businesses, it’s clear that small businesses are at particular risk from the harm caused by fake retail content.  

Tina McKenzie, Policy Chair at the Federation of Small Businesses (FSB), said:

“As the Christmas shopping season begins, we’re calling on consumers to take care with their planned purchases and make sure they are placed with authentic, brilliant small businesses. 

“This is not a time to let your guard down. Criminals luring consumers in with fake products and reviews hurt people during a cost-of-living crisis, often cruelly targeting the most vulnerable shoppers. It also undercuts honest small firms that play by the rules and are embedded in their local community, driving customers away.

“Small businesses can also be targeted with fake and misleading reviews, which can cause serious damage and can be hard to spot, especially now that fraudsters are using AI. Reporting, detecting and removing fake reviews is therefore critical.”

Tips to protect yourself this Black Friday… and beyond   

Question rave reviews – if multiple similar reviews have been uploaded at the same time, if a reviewer’s account has been activated recently or has only reviewed a narrow range of products, alarm bells should ring.

See beyond the stars – whilst a star rating of 4.5 or 5 can be a good indicator of quality, don’t go by this alone – look at the reviews too and check them against these tips.

Is it AI talking? Genuine reviews will often be personal and specific to the individual’s experience of using the item, whilst a fake is more likely to be vague, using generic words and phrases such as ‘amazing’, ‘awesome’, ‘buy this product’.

Review the reviews – Trusted online review checkers can help you decide if reviews are genuine – current options include TheReviewIndex and RateBud.

Don’t buy from an ad – If you’re tempted by a product, go back to your browser and search the company website separately. Check out a range of well-known independent review sites (such as TrustPilot) and see if you can find other mentions of the website online. And don’t always rely on the padlock symbol as many criminals have cottoned on to this.

Beware fake websites – Don’t automatically trust a website that you don’t know. Look for a company address, phone number and professional email address that you can verify, check out their socials and see if you can find reviews about the company elsewhere online. You can also use a web URL checker to see if it’s listed as a scam site.

Pay securely – Always pay by credit or debit card or a legitimate payment platform (such as PayPal) when shopping online. If a seller asks for a bank transfer or other method of payment, alarm bells should ring.

If you think you have lost money after being duped by a fake online review, misleading ad or a fake website you should report it to Action Fraud (www.actionfraud.police.uk/ or 0300 123 2040) or seek advice from a Citizens Advice consumer helpline on 0808 223 1133.     

ENDS

London-based start-up building a digital safety network that helps banks protect people from scams before payments happen

FALKIN uses AI to detect scams before money moves, analysing manipulation and deception across urgent messages, items for sale, payment requests and investment opportunities

Its digital safety tools are embedded directly into banking platforms, protecting customers inside the experiences they already use and trust.
FALKIN is launching Safety Labs to help community banks deploy scam prevention tools

Already tested by banks and tens of thousands of users across the US and UK – 78% say FALKIN makes them more confident online.

FALKIN’s $2 million pre-seed funding round was led by TriplePoint Ventures, with Notion Capital, BackFuture Ventures, Aviva/Founders Factory, Haatch, Found Capital, and Founders Capital. Leading fintech and cyber investors have also invested in the company.

LONDON, TUES 11 NOV 2025, 8AM GMT – FALKIN, a digital safety company that helps people stop scams before payments happen, has today announced it has secured $2 million in pre-seed funding. The round was led by TriplePoint Ventures, with participation from Notion Capital, BackFuture Ventures, Aviva/Founders Factory, Haatch, Found Capital, and Founders Capital. The round also included leading fintech and cyber investors such as Pierre Decote, Group Chief Risk Officer at Revolut and Ben Enckevort, CTO and Co-Founder of Metomic. The investment comes amid rising regulatory and consumer pressure for proactive scam-prevention measures as AI-powered fraud grows globally.

The funding will be used to accelerate hiring, product development, and integrations with financial institutions while supporting the launch of Safety Labs, which gives community banks and credit unions a structured way to easily deploy and evaluate customer-facing scam-prevention tools with minimal lift.

The company is also expanding its integration ecosystem, enabling financial institutions to embed FALKIN’s protection layer directly into digital-banking journeys and communication systems.

FALKIN has already been used by bank innovation teams and tens of thousands of consumers across the US and UK. 78% of users said FALKIN’s tools made them feel more confident engaging online, and more than half said prevention is more valuable than reimbursement. The results show that prevention-first tools that engage consumers before they make payments, significantly reduce risk and strengthen trust.

The company uses a range of AI digital safety tools that analyse manipulation techniques and signs of deception across various communication channels. These tools are embedded directly inside the popular digital tools people already trust, from mobile-banking apps to customer-service portals, so customers are protected before money leaves their account.

AI Scams: The New Frontier of Financial Fraud

Scams have become the defining financial threat of the AI era. Deloitte estimates U.S. losses from authorised push payment fraud could reach $15 billion by 2028, up from $8.3 billion in 2024. In the U.K., over seven million people were affected by scams last year, yet 71% of victims never report them. With prosecution rates below 1%, financial institutions are fighting an invisible enemy with incomplete data and no deterrent.

Despite billions spent annually on fraud and scam detection, most systems activate when money moves – missing the emotional manipulation and deception that causes scams in the first place. The institutional cost is staggering: the true cost of each fraud incident exceeds four times the stolen amount when legal fees, fines, remediation, and staff time are included.

AI has fundamentally changed the threat landscape. Scammers now deploy voice cloning, deepfake video, and sophisticated copywriting tools to create hyper-realistic impersonations at scale – making it nearly impossible for consumers to distinguish legitimate communications from fraud. What once required skilled social engineering can now be executed by anyone with an internet connection.

“AI has blurred the line between what’s real and what’s fake, and traditional systems aren’t built for that reality,” said Sam Stone of TriplePoint Ventures. “FALKIN’s vision to make proactive safety universal has the potential to redefine digital trust. We’re proud to back the team as they work to embed digital safety at the heart of modern finance.”

“The new battlefield isn’t payments – it’s persuasion,” said Boaz Valkin, Co-Founder of FALKIN. “Protection has to move earlier, to the moment before someone clicks, replies, or transfers. We’re turning AI from a weapon of deception into a tool for defense.”

“Modern scams are sophisticated, and no single red flag tells the whole story,” said Joel Frisch, co-founder and COO, FALKIN. “The key is to analyze all the signals that reveal deception to build a complete picture. When we embed that intelligence where trust already lives – inside the banking apps people use every day – protection becomes effortless.”

Environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy today launches Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight, a national campaign urging the public to protect themselves and their communities from waste criminals, who lure people in with cheap rubbish removal deals on social media, only to illegally dump household waste in our streets, fields and public spaces.

New consumer research reveals that households are unknowingly fuelling the problem by failing to carry out basic checks when hiring someone to collect their rubbish.

According to the YouGov survey, less than half of respondents (46%) were aware they should check for a licence when hiring someone to take away rubbish and of those who were aware, only 13% have ever done so. Almost half (42%) of those who considered hiring someone to remove waste said they simply ‘trusted’ an operator based on their advert, while 19% said they used someone because they were recommended without checking their credentials

Meanwhile, the problem of fly-tipping is escalating rapidly. According to new research carried out by the charity with local authorities, almost three quarters (70%) say fly-tipping is now a ‘major problem’, more than half (56%) report that the issue has grown in the past year and a staggering 40% of fly-tips are now reported to be left by rogue traders rather than individuals.

Nationally, more than 1.15 million fly-tipping incidents were reported in 2023-24 by councils. With estimated costs to landowners and council tax-payers ranging from £100 million to £150 million for clearance and investigation, fly-tipping diverts significant funds away from vital services like schools, social care and parks.

Keep Britain Tidy’s Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight campaign aims to educate people about how to avoid falling for a #RubbishDeal. Featuring real-life CCTV footage supplied by local authorities, the campaign exposes rogue ‘house clearance’ merchants being caught in the act of dumping large quantities of household rubbish in fields, alleyways and lay-bys.

Keep Britain Tidy is urging anyone getting rid of stuff they no longer want to take three simple steps to avoid falling for a #RubbishDeal that leaves them, their community and their council paying the price.

Ask for a waste carrier registration number
Check it on the Environment Agency’s public register at (visit https://environment.data.gov.uk/public-register/view/search-waste-carriers-brokers or call 0300 065 3000)
Check you’ll get a receipt

Dr. Anna Scott, Director of Services at Keep Britain Tidy, said: “Fly-tipping is a #RubbishDeal for all of us. For the public, for councils, for communities and for the environment. That cheap deal on Facebook or WhatsApp may look like a bargain, but it’s a false economy and it’s you and your community that end up paying the price.

“Fly-tipping isn’t just unsightly, it’s often linked to organised criminal networks making millions of pounds by exploiting gaps in enforcement and undercutting legitimate businesses. It’s a serious criminal offence, and we all have a part to play in stopping it. People need to know that they are responsible for what happens to their own waste, even if they’ve hired someone else to take it away. By doing simple checks and getting a receipt, people can protect themselves, protect their neighbourhoods and ensure public money does not have to spent on clearing up after criminals.”

Further findings of the consumer poll include:

Worsening community impact: More than a third of people (38%) say fly-tipping has increased in the past year and 61% say they feel angry when they see people’s old stuff dumped in their local area
Out of sight, out of mind. Only 1 in 3 (34%) would ask for a receipt or proof of the service when paying someone to remove their rubbish, and less than a quarter (23%) would check where items will be taken and how they will be disposed of.
Confusion over legal ‘duty of care’: Almost half of households (47%) believe the person they hired is responsible if rubbish is dumped illegally, while only one in five (19%) correctly understand that they remain legally responsible as the owner of the items.
Strong support for solutions: 86% of people said they would back schemes requiring retailers to collect old bulky items like sofas or mattresses when delivering new ones, helping to cut fly-tipping at the source.

Fight Fly-tipping Fortnight will run nationwide from 10^th– 23rd November, with local authorities across the country joining forces with Keep Britain Tidy to shine a spotlight on waste crime and share practical advice to help consumers avoid a #RubbishDeal.

To find out more, visit www.keepbritaintidy.org/fight-fly-tipping

The brief

Counterfeit beauty and hygiene products can cause serious harm, yet many young women in the UK are unaware of the risks.

The Intellectual Property Office (IPO) asked Barley Communications to design and deliver a behaviour change communications campaign targeting women aged 18–30. The goal was to expose the hidden dangers of fake perfumes, lipsticks and concealers, and to encourage safer, better-informed purchasing choices.

Insights and approach

Grounded in research and consumer insight, we developed Choose Safe, Not Fake — a behaviour change consultancy programme and campaign designed to shift attitudes and influence real-world decisions.

Understanding where our audience spends time online, we built a strategy centred on targeted social media activity, influencer partnerships and collaboration with trusted consumer protection organisations, including Citizens Advice.

Instagram proved critical given its reach among our target audience. We delivered a mix of high-impact multimedia content, ensuring key messages were seen repeatedly across the campaign period. Influencer selection focused on credibility and audience alignment, enabling authentic storytelling and amplifying engagement far beyond paid activity.

We backed this with powerful real-world case studies and striking visual assets that exposed the realities of fake beauty products. Combined, these elements created a multi-channel approach that exceeded every KPI and generated widespread coverage across TV, print and online platforms.

Results

The campaign successfully raised awareness of the risks posed by counterfeit beauty and hygiene products, directly addressing the objectives set by the IPO.

Choose Safe, Not Fake exceeded all reach and engagement KPIs. One in five consumers recalled the campaign — a clear sign that the messaging resonated — while content engagement grew more than threefold compared with the previous year’s behaviour change campaign. Influencer activity further accelerated conversations about the harms associated with fake products.

Coverage across flagship programmes including ITV’s This Morning and the BBC’s Morning Live reached millions, and partnerships with consumer protection bodies strengthened credibility. As a result, one in four consumers were able to recognise the dangers of counterfeit beauty products, helping empower young women to make safer choices and cementing the IPO’s position as a trusted voice in consumer protection.

Vapes marketed as ‘nicotine free’ found to contain nicotine

New data published by National Trading Standards reveal 13% of supposedly ‘nicotine free’ vapes on sale in the UK contain the highly addictive substance
Businesses and vapers urged to be vigilant and report suspected cases

New data published today by National Trading Standards reveal supposedly nicotine free vapes on sale to UK consumers have been found to contain nicotine. The findings have been published as Trading Standards continue to unearth new intelligence around the illegal vapes market.

As part of Operation Joseph – a Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) funded initiative tracking the sale of illicit vapes and underage sales – 76 products sold as nicotine free vapes were tested by Heart of the South West Trading Standards Service, working together with Trading Standards teams in Salford and Berkshire.

More than one in every eight (13.2%) of the products were found to contain nicotine in amounts ranging from 0.06 mg/ml to 27.02 mg/ml – around the amount delivered by a pack of 20 cigarettes.*

All ten were also found to exceed the limit on the amount of e-liquid permitted in vapes with two found to exceed both the e-liquid and nicotine strength limit.**

As a result, consumers hoping to buy nicotine free products would have been exposed to nicotine and its addictive effects and in significant quantities with eight of the ten failed samples.

Lord Michael Bichard, Chair, National Trading Standards, said:

“Nicotine free vapes can be a useful tool to quit smoking and reduce nicotine dependency, but these findings reveal that people can actually continue to be stuck in a cycle of addiction if sold the highly addictive substance unknowingly.

“Businesses should be aware vapes falsely claiming to be nicotine free are in circulation and should make sure they are not breaking the law by selling products that are falsely advertised, especially where they are importing goods or acting as the main UK distributor.

“I urge businesses and consumers to be vigilant and report suspected cases to the Citizens Advice consumer service by calling 0808 223 1133.”

Alex Fry, Operations Officer for Heart of the South West Trading Standards, said:

“We are pleased to have contributed to and helped co-ordinate the sampling of this project. We recognise how important it is for regulators and legislators to have up to date intelligence on what products are being supplied to consumers.

“Trading Standards are at the forefront of ensuring products comply with legal requirements and we hope that the findings will provide valuable intelligence and help shape the future regulation of cigarettes, tobacco and vapes.”

New data from a first-of-its kind operation* tracking the sale of illicit vapes and underage sales shows:

1.19 million illegal vapes seized by Trading Standards in 2023-24, a 59% increase.
299,224 vapes confiscated in Q4 2023-24 alone.
24% of test purchases in Q4 2023-24 resulted in illegal sales of vapes to children.
A second operation** seized 46 million illicit cigarettes and 12,600kg of hand-rolling tobacco in the last three years.

More than a million illegal vapes were seized by Trading Standards in 2023/2024, new data released today from National Trading Standards (NTS) and the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) show.

A joint initiative named Operation Joseph has tracked over 1.19 million illegal vapes removed from sale across England, a 59% increase in the number seized compared to the previous year. The products seized failed to meet basic UK safety standards, with most containing excess nicotine levels.

New data also shines a spotlight on sales of vapes to children. In Q4 2023-24, almost a quarter (24%) of the 775 test purchases conducted in-person by Trading Standards resulted in illegal sales to under 18s.

Meanwhile, Operation CeCe — a joint initiative between NTS and HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC) running since 2021 — continues to disrupt the illicit tobacco trade. In 2023-24, over 19 million illicit cigarettes and more than 5,103 kg of hand-rolling tobacco worth £11.7 million were seized by Trading Standards. Since the operation started three years ago, 46 million illicit cigarettes and 12,600kg of hand-rolling tobacco have been seized, disrupting the illegal trade which undermines efforts to drive down smoking rates – including taxation policies.

“The protection of communities, public health and the safeguarding of honest businesses who are struggling to compete with the flood of illegal products lies at the heart of what Trading Standards does,” said Lord Michael Bichard, Chair of National Trading Standards.

“Trading Standards has seized nearly 1.2 million illegal vapes and more than £26 million worth of illicit tobacco so far. But the reality is further action is necessary to remove more illegal – and in many cases dangerous – products from sale.

Richard Las, Director, HMRC Fraud Investigation Service, said:

“Illicit tobacco undermines legitimate retailers, funds wider crime, and harms public health while depriving our vital public services of around £2.2 billion a year.

“We will continue to work with partners like trading standards to tackle this organised criminal trade that harms our communities. These criminals don’t care who they sell to including children.

“We urge anyone with information about the smuggling, distribution or sale of illicit tobacco to report it online.”

Kate Pike, Lead Officer for Tobacco and Vaping for the Chartered Trading Standards Institute said:

“Trading Standards officers recognise that it is really important that adult smokers are able to switch to legal compliant vaping products which carry a fraction of the risk of their lethal tobacco habit. These figures show we are working incredibly hard to remove illegal vapes from our communities and to support businesses not to sell to children. We encourage anyone with information about businesses ignoring the law to report to us so we can continue to target our enforcement resources most effectively.”

Minister for Public Health and Prevention Andrew Gwynne said:

“This shows just how many illegal and harmful vapes are on our streets, putting consumers and children at risk. To further crack down on illicit trade of tobacco products and vapes, we are investing an extra £10 million to keep these harmful products out of the hands of kids.

“The Tobacco and Vapes Bill will strengthen enforcement activity, allowing Trading Standards to take swifter action to enforce the law, including on non-compliant products, and closing loopholes.”

We’re at the cusp of a whole bunch of awards celebrations and we have plenty to celebrate! We’re thrilled to have been shortlisted for multiple awards for our innovative communications solutions. Of course, the pride and glory of awards are always enjoyable, but more than anything, we’re pleased with what this recognition says about our work.

Having judged many awards ourselves, we know that creativity, innovation and impact are what’s needed to make an award entry stand out from the crowd. At Barley, we blend strategy, creativity, expertise and passion into social purpose communications that deliver real impact for our clients.

Here’s a snapshot of the work we’ve been shortlisted for:

Rebranding a charity for ETP

To mark a new era for ETP, we designed a bold visual identity that unifies perspectives, clarifies the organisation’s message and charts a course for the future. We developed a new website that’s been shortlisted for Best Website or App at the Memcom Excellence Awards and Best Marketing Initiative or Project at the Association Excellence Awards.

Membership organisation, EACTS

The European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery (EACTS) – a 4,000+ membership organisation for the cardiothoracic surgical community that aims to improve outcomes for heart and lung patients around the world – has been shortlisted for Best In-Person Event of the Year at the Memcom Excellence Awards.

The shortlist for EACTS is for the 37th EACTS Annual Meeting which took place in Vienna in 2023 – and we’re proud to support EACTS to deliver the flagship event. At Barley, our work includes managing organic and paid social media to drive over 5,000 participants to the event, publishing a daily newspaper over the four-day event and working with Go Forth Films to produce a daily highlights video. Barley is again supporting EACTS with this year’s Annual Meeting, which is being held in Lisbon from 9-12 October.

Environmental behaviour change campaign for Keep Britain Tidy

Based on eye-opening data about people’s buying habits, we created and delivered a topical campaign across digital and social platforms, setting our audience the task of buying nothing new for a month. This one is up for Behaviour Change Campaign of the Year at the Global Glood Awards and the Education, Training and Communication Award at the National Sustainability Awards.

Charity communications for Nordoff and Robbins

We’re shortlisted for PR Team of the Year at the Charity Times Awards for our strategic approach to media relations for the inaugural Northern Music Awards – helping Nordoff and Robbins raise their profile, raise funds and demonstrate the impact of their life-changing work as the UK largest provider of music therapy.

Local authority communications for Suffolk Waste Partnership

Our #ShakeItOut campaign to reduce recycling contamination has made a lasting impact, resonating with Suffolk households through eye-catching creative across multiple communications channels. This standout campaign of this year’s awards has so far been shortlisted a whopping eight times.

And there’s more! In addition to our client work, Barley has also been shortlisted for several agency awards, including the Women in Green Business Awards and the Association Excellence Awards.

This recognition is true testament to the dedication, imagination and enthusiasm our team brings to every project. And we’re ever appreciative of our marvellous clients for choosing Barley to deliver across a wide range of their communications needs.

Bring on the celebrations!

The brief

Scams remain significantly underreported, creating major challenges for those working to protect consumers. Working with the National Trading Standards (NTS) Scams Team, we identified that shame and victim-blaming prevent people from speaking up – limiting both reporting and access to support. This fuels a cycle where services remain under-resourced and inconsistent across the country.

In response, Barley was asked to deliver a consumer protection campaign that would reduce stigma, encourage victims to come forward and drive people towards trusted scam prevention communications and support services.

Insights and approach

To help NTS shift public attitudes, we developed a media-first strategy to amplify its No Blame No Shame campaign. Our aim was simple: spark a national conversation about why people do not report scams, and show how better reporting can help shape policy, improve services and protect others.
New research revealed the scale of the problem – with most adults targeted and many losing money but choosing not to report due to feelings of embarrassment or self-blame. This insight formed the backbone of our story. It gave us a powerful platform to challenge public misconceptions, offer clear advice and call for stronger victim support.
To deepen impact, we worked closely with a criminologist exploring parallels between scammer behaviour and domestic abuse, adding robust expert commentary. We also prepared a sensitive, high-impact case study of a woman groomed over several months by cryptocurrency scammers, ensuring she felt fully supported and confident sharing her experience.
Through careful embargoed pitching, we aligned launch coverage with NTS Scams Team activity and secured strong interest from the BBC and wider consumer media, supported by a detailed briefing for the NTS spokesperson.

Results

The campaign generated widespread national and regional coverage. BBC Breakfast, ITV Good Morning Britain, BBC Radio 5 Live, BBC local radio, LBC, Times Radio, Channel 5 and the Daily Express all carried the story, driving sustained conversation about the need to remove shame from scam reporting.

BBC Radio 5 Live highlighted the Friends Against Scams resource twice in 24 hours – first directing listeners to the site on launch day, then hosting a follow-up discussion on AI-enabled fraud. Channel 5’s Alexis Conran show facilitated a dedicated panel and phone-in, with strong signposting to Action Fraud, Citizens Advice and Friends Against Scams.The campaign helped shift the narrative: from victim-blaming towards recognition that anyone can be targeted. Following the launch, the NTS Scams Team was invited to give evidence to the Home Affairs Committee inquiry into fraud and to attend several senior government meetings.

The brief

Counterfeit electrical goods continue to put people at risk — especially 18–35-year-olds who are more likely to buy them. These products often bypass essential safety checks, leading to fire hazards, electric shocks and wasted money.In the run-up to Christmas, when pressure to buy discounted tech is at its peak, the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) asked Barley to deliver a public awareness campaign that would protect younger shoppers from unknowingly purchasing counterfeit electricals, using our strengths as a behaviour change agency and communications agency to drive safer choices.

Insights and approach

Reaching 18–35-year-olds meant engaging a diverse audience with different motivations, platforms and buying habits. Some knowingly take risks; others fall for convincing imitations. Our strategy needed to speak to both.

We created a fully integrated campaign spanning social media, traditional media, influencers and enforcement partners. By focusing on everyday items such as phone chargers and headphones, we grounded the message in familiar products that younger people buy most often — making the risks clearer and more relevant.

The campaign launched around Black Friday to capture early seasonal shopping behaviour and built momentum through December. We conducted new research into young adults’ attitudes towards counterfeit goods to generate compelling news angles, working with enforcement partners so our advice aligned with real-world activity.Influencer content, tailored to distinct audience segments, helped widen reach and deliver trusted, peer-to-peer messaging — a crucial element for behaviour change.

Results

The campaign delivered strong visibility at a critical moment in the retail calendar and helped warn young shoppers about the safety risks of counterfeit electricals. Coverage included a 10-minute feature on BBC Morning Live, demonstrating the dangers in real time and offering practical advice for staying safe.

Across social, influencer and media channels, our integrated approach ensured the IPO’s message cut through — empowering young people to make safer, more informed buying decisions in the run-up to Christmas.

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.

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