Prevention Through Education | Global Anti-Scam Summit London 2025

Date of Event:  26–27 March 2025

Event: Global Anti-Scam Summit London 2025

This session brought together experts across academia, advocacy, government, and the private sector to examine how education can drive scam prevention at scale.

Lynette Owens of Trend Micro opened the session by reflecting on new global data that reveals a worrying lack of preparedness among consumers. Few people report discussing scam threats like investment or romance fraud with family members, and this silence leaves many isolated when they fall victim. She argued that breaking this silence through normalising conversations and delivering relatable education is a first step to resilience.

The panel included Jade Richmond of the Australian National Anti-Scam Centre, Gill Thomas from the Global Cyber Alliance, Kitboga from Seraph Secure, and Professor Mark Button from the University of Portsmouth. Each panellist outlined what has worked in their efforts to engage different audiences—from peer-led support for older adults to immersive tools for younger people. Kitboga emphasised the role of humour and shareable content in opening up hard conversations, while Professor Button called for stronger evidence-based evaluations to identify what truly reduces victimisation.

Speakers agreed that prevention must be treated as a shared responsibility and that consistent funding, community partnerships, and cultural change are vital. They called on both governments and businesses to embed education in long-term strategy, with a focus on empowering action—not just awareness.