FCA launches unconventional campaign with animatronic seal to combat financial fraud

The Financial Conduct Authority has deployed an unusual weapon in its fight against financial scams: a seven-foot animatronic seal. The campaign, developed with advertising agency M+C Saatchi, represents a marked shift in how UK regulators are attempting to cut through the noise of financial warnings and reach consumers before they fall victim to fraudulent schemes.

Dubbed "Check if it's real, before you seal the deal," the initiative aims to make the FCA's Firm Checker tool a routine part of financial decision-making. The tool allows consumers to verify whether investment or lending firms are authorized to operate in the UK—a critical verification step as financial scams continue to proliferate across digital platforms.

Background and Context

Financial fraud has reached crisis levels in the United Kingdom, with losses exceeding £1.2 billion in 2022 alone, according to UK Finance data. The pandemic accelerated a shift toward digital financial services, creating new opportunities for sophisticated scammers who increasingly impersonate legitimate firms to solicit investments or loans.

Traditional regulatory warnings have struggled to compete with professional-looking marketing materials deployed by fraudulent operations. Previous awareness campaigns have relied on straightforward messaging about risks and verification, but consumer behavior research suggests these approaches often fail to trigger action at the critical moment of decision.

Key Figures and Entities

The Financial Conduct Authority, established in 2013, oversees conduct in financial markets and has increasingly focused on consumer protection against fraud. The regulator's Firm Checker database contains information on approximately 90,000 authorized firms and provides warnings about known scams and unauthorized entities.

The campaign's creative execution was handled by M+C Saatchi, with production company Prod Co bringing the animatronic seal to life. According to agency representatives, the physical prop—rather than computer-generated imagery—was deliberately chosen to create greater impact and memorability in media spaces saturated with digital effects.

Legal and Financial Mechanisms

The verification system at the heart of the campaign addresses a critical vulnerability in consumer protection: the information asymmetry between sophisticated fraudulent operations and individual investors. When consumers use the Firm Checker, they receive confirmation of a company's regulatory status or warnings about potential risks.

However, the tool has limitations. Fraudulent firms often clone legitimate companies' credentials or use sophisticated social engineering techniques to appear authentic. The FCA's own research indicates that even when consumers are aware of verification tools, usage rates remain low compared to the prevalence of scam encounters.

International Implications and Policy Response

The FCA's approach represents part of a broader international trend toward behavioral nudges in regulatory enforcement. Similar campaigns have been deployed in Australia and Canada, though the UK's use of an animatronic character is notably unconventional for a financial regulator.

Consumer advocates question whether such campaigns allocate resources effectively compared to enforcement actions against fraudulent firms. The Campaign for Fair Finance has previously criticized the FCA for focusing too heavily on consumer education rather than disrupting the business models of scam operations themselves.

Sources

This report draws on information from the Financial Conduct Authority, campaign materials from M+C Saatchi, UK Finance fraud statistics, and previous reporting on financial scams in UK media between 2020-2024.