As Chair of the Consumer Protection APPG, I was delighted to host the ?Take Five to Stop Fraud Parliamentary Launch Reception? last night supported by UK Finance and with a keynote speech by the Rt Hon Ben Wallace MP, Minister for Security and Economic Crime.

Many of us say we know the warning signs of a scam - a dodgy looking email or a suspicious sounding phone call - yet research out this week showed we might be too confident when it comes to fraud. When put to the test, only around one in ten of the 63,000 people that took the Too Smart to be Scammed quiz answered all the questions right.

As a country we often take people at their word, whether that's a call claimed to be from the police or a text message seemingly from the bank. That trust is what fraudsters try to take advantage of by tricking people into revealing their details or giving away their money.

With criminals using increasingly sophisticated tactics, it's now even more vital that everyone is alert. It's clear that empowering consumers with the skills to spot a scam is an important line of defence in the fight against fraud.

This is why the Take Five to Stop Fraud campaign is so important. It gives positive, practical advice to protect consumers and to help them stay safe.

Take Five focuses on engaging consumers with one simple idea - they shouldn't give out their personal details, click on a link or give someone their money, or access to it, if they?re at all unsure of the source of the request.

Instead they should stop and ?Take Five? to think. By remembering and using the memorable phrase ?My money? My info? I don't think so? consumers can confidently and quickly shut down unsolicited approaches.

So during this Take Five to Stop Fraud Week, read up on how to spot the scams and stay safe and then please share this knowledge with as many people as possible. By spreading the Take Five message we can all help to protect everyone from fraudsters.