Client and Sector
Client: SPF Economie (FOD Economie) — the Belgian Federal Public Service for Economy, responsible for consumer protection, market regulation, and economic inspections.
Sector: Public sector / consumer safety, with a mission to prevent fraud and promote responsible economic behavior.
Context and Insight
Scams are on the rise in Belgium, with increasing cases of fraud via phone calls, SMS, emails, and fake websites. In 2022 alone, nearly half of all reports received through the public hotline involved scam attempts, often with significant financial losses.
In a hyper-connected world where everything moves faster and faster, people are becoming less attentive — making it easier for fraud to succeed with just a click or tap.
Challenge
SPF Economie needed to raise national awareness about digital fraud and promote a reflex of caution among citizens. The key challenge: deliver a clear, memorable message that encourages people to slow down — and think before they act.
Solution
The campaign adopted a direct and behavioral message:
“Take 10 seconds and stop the scam.”
A call to pause, reflect, and regain control — just long enough to detect suspicious links, payment requests, or fake messages.
Approach and Execution
Created a multi-channel awareness campaign centered on the “10 seconds” message.
Media mix included TV, web, radio, Spotify, DOOH, and social media platforms.
Designed visuals and scripts illustrating common scam scenarios — always resolved by taking that short, protective pause.
All content directed viewers to the national Stop Scams platform (stoparnaques.be), with resources, guides, and reporting tools.
Results
High visibility across traditional and digital media, including audio streaming and short-form video.
Simple, effective behavioral message that resonated broadly and was easy to remember.
Increased traffic and visibility for Stop Scams, Belgium’s central resource for fraud prevention and response.
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