FraudSMART Taps Into Snap AR to Raise Awareness Among Young People About Financial Fraud in Ireland

Raising Awareness About Financial Fraud for Young People Across Ireland

Developed by the Banking & Payments Federation of Ireland (BPFI), FraudSMART is a fraud awareness initiative that works to inform consumers and businesses about financial fraud activities and trends, offering easy tips and advice to protect against fraud.

FraudSMART wanted to find a clever, innovative way to reach young people across Ireland who are currently being targeted for use as “money mules” and groomed to open bank accounts for illegal money laundering through the banking system. Wanting to boost awareness and meet this age group where they are, FraudSMART turned to Snapchat for their campaign, knowing it’s a popular platform among young people in Ireland.

Additionally, the brand needed to ensure their important messaging was impactful — FraudSMART aimed to create an entertaining AR experience while still educating audiences about the serious consequences of becoming a money mule.

Innovative Use of Snap AR to Educate and Engage

FraudSMART worked with Snapchat to create and launch an AR Lens as the hero piece of their campaign. Designed to mimic a real-life scenario in which a young person might be approached by a scammer via direct messages, the Lens takes Snapchatters through a series of questions and, based on their answers, reveals if the user is engaging in questionable behavior. This innovative approach not only grabbed the attention of FraudSMART’s target audience but also educated them about the legal ramifications of becoming a money mule in an entertaining and shareable way.

This campaign was particularly effective in raising awareness with young people, as it leveraged a format that is both engaging and native to their daily social media interactions. FraudSMART’s campaign strategy demonstrates how established organizations like BPFI consider Snapchat to be a powerful tool for their brand.

Exceptional Campaign Performance and Audience Engagement

FraudSMART’s campaign exceeded all benchmarks set by Snapchat in Ireland, particularly the quadrupling of the Key Performance Indicator (KPI) for Shares. A total of 117,000 young people shared the Lens with their friends, significantly surpassing the average benchmark of 30,000 shares we see in Ireland. This level of engagement demonstrated the campaign's ability to resonate deeply with their target demographic, raising awareness about the risks of money muling through peer-to-peer interactions. These results not only highlighted the campaign's effectiveness in achieving its awareness goals but also underscored the power of leveraging the right platforms and creative strategies to connect with younger audiences.

As part of a larger initiative by the BPFI, the campaign also focused strategically on connecting with students at a critical time in their lives. By leveraging Snapchat to communicate this serious message in a language and format that resonated with young people, the campaign successfully demonstrated a significant achievement in social responsibility and the effectiveness of targeted social media campaigns to address complex issues.