Lagos: Access Bank Plc has unveiled a financial crime awareness initiative to educate young people on scams and fraudulent activities. Solomon Abiakalam, Chief Conduct and Compliance Officer at Access Bank, announced the bank’s ‘Spot-The-Scam’ campaign during a news conference in Lagos. The initiative specifically targets students aged 12 to 16, aiming to reach 30,000 young people across Lagos State.
According to News Agency of Nigeria, Abiakalam emphasized that the programme is designed to help young individuals identify scams to avoid becoming victims or unwitting perpetrators of financial crimes. He highlighted a recent incident where the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested approximately 792 young people during a raid in Victoria Island, Lagos, on December 10, 2024. This incident underscored the necessity of addressing financial crimes through early education, in conjunction with regulatory and banking controls.
Abiakalam mentioned that while the bank has strengthened its internal controls, it also decided to ‘go upstream’ by educating potential victims and perpetrators. He advocated for scam awareness and prevention to be integrated into school curricula and called for collaboration among banks, schools, parents, government agencies, and telecommunications companies to tackle financial crimes effectively.
He further elaborated that Access Bank regularly trains and assesses its staff on financial crime prevention and runs an ‘always-on’ fraud awareness campaign. He urged customers to pause and verify suspicious messages or requests, particularly those creating urgency, fear, threats, or undue excitement.
Abiodun Olubitan, Head of SME Banking at Access Bank, encouraged parents to foster an environment where children feel comfortable reporting suspicious online experiences without fear of punishment or shame. Oge Kasie-Nwachukwu, Acting Group Head of Marketing and Retail Analytics, stressed that early financial education would help children recognize scams involving fake rewards, games, celebrity profiles, and other online content. The programme will initially focus on students but plans to expand to include children, parents, and teachers.
Ronke Matuluko, a representative from the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, urged students to report suspicious activities to teachers and guidance counsellors. Inyang Etim, Head of Regulatory and Financial Crime Compliance at Access Bank, urged adults to adopt a non-judgmental approach towards young people already engaged in financial crimes. Etim emphasized the importance of creating safe spaces for young people to speak openly, which could encourage them to seek help and provide information that could expose criminal networks. She also recommended that parents instil ethical values in children, noting that incentives alone cannot replace a proper moral upbringing.