Access Bank targets students in financial crime prevention drive

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, Access Bank, said this at a news conference on the bank’s “Spot-The-Scam” campaign in Lagos on Wednesday.

Abiakalam ​‌‌‍​‍⁠⁠‌⁠​‌​‍‌‌⁠‌​said the initiative targets students aged 12 to 16, with a goal of reaching 30,000 young people in Lagos State.

He said the programme was designed to help young people identify scams and avoid becoming victims or unwitting perpetrators of financial crimes.

He recalled that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) arrested about 792 young people during a raid in Victoria Island, Lagos, on Dec. 10, 2024.

He said the incident highlighted the need to address financial crimes through early education, alongside regulatory and banking controls.

He said the bank had strengthened internal controls but decided to “go upstream” by educating potential victims and perpetrators.

Abiakalam also called for scam awareness and prevention to be incorporated into school curricula, saying banks, schools, parents, government agencies and telecommunications companies must collaborate to tackle financial crimes.

He said the bank regularly trained and assessed its staff on financial crime prevention and operated an “always-on” fraud awareness campaign.

He advised customers to pause and verify suspicious messages or requests, especially those creating urgency, fear, threats or undue excitement.

Abiodun Olubitan, Head, SME Banking, Access Bank, urged parents to create an environment where children could report suspicious online experiences without fear of punishment or shame.

Oge Kasie-Nwachukwu, Acting Group Head, Marketing and Retail Analytics, Access Bank, said early financial education would help children recognise scams involving fake rewards, games, celebrity profiles and other online content.

She said the programme would initially focus on students but would subsequently expand to children, parents and teachers.

Ronke Matuluko, representative of the Lagos State Ministry of Basic and Secondary Education, urged students to report suspicious activities to teachers and guidance counsellors.

Inyang Etim, Head, Regulatory and Financial Crime Compliance, Access Bank, urged adults to adopt a non-judgmental approach toward young people already involved in financial crimes.

Etim said creating safe spaces for young people to speak openly could encourage them to seek help and provide information that could expose criminal networks.

She also urged parents to instil ethical values in children, noting that incentives alone could not replace proper moral upbringing.