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The National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) has unveiled ‘Tough Protection’, a new multichannel campaign under the Stop! Think Fraud initiative, encouraging individuals and small businesses to activate 2-Step Verification (2SV) to protect their online accounts. The push was developed in partnership with M&C Saatchi UK.

The financial cost of fraud against individuals is estimated at £6.8bn a year, and Action Fraud estimates that 89% of crimes reported to them are cyber-enabled. According to the Criminal Survey for England and Wales, there were an estimated 1.02 million incidents of cyber-crime in England and Wales in the year ending March 2024, a significant increase of 37% from the previous year.

The push seeks to increase the cyber resilience of individuals and small businesses through tackling the growing threat of cyber-crime by using a humorous and visually striking creative approach to bring the benefits of 2SV to life.

A 30-second film, directed by Freddie Powell and Tiffany Chang at DROOL, follows Sophie, a small business owner who, while on her evening commute, encounters an approaching cyber-criminal. With a simple tap on her phone to activate 2SV, she undergoes a dramatic transformation into a fully-kitted-out knight who’s not to be messed with. As the other passengers look on in shock, her everyday clothing is replaced with full medieval armour, illustrating the added protection 2SV provides. She “boops” the criminal on the nose, and he’s left with no choice but to flee.

A central creative device in the campaign is the phone toggle, a universally recognised symbol that visually represents transformation—from one-step to two-step, from ‘normal’ to ‘knight’. This simple yet powerful metaphor reinforces how 2SV instantly strengthens online security, turning an ordinary login into a far tougher defence against cyber threats.

The launch marks the first campaign for NCSC under the Stop! Think Fraud umbrella, as part of a collaborative approach to tackle fraud and better protect the British public.

The campaign is running across BVOD, out-of-home, social, digital, radio, and influencer channels. Media planning is by Wavemaker and media buying is by OmniGOV.

Felicity Oswald, chief operating officer of the National Cyber Security Centre, said, “Opportunistic online fraudsters are constantly taking advantage of people and small businesses using digital devices which can have a devastating impact. Thankfully, there are ways to protect yourself and increase your cyber resilience - which is why today we're launching the Tough Protection initiative, part of the nationwide Stop! Think Fraud campaign, urging everyone to bolster their digital security.

"Enabling Two-Step Verification is one of the most effective ways to prevent criminals from breaking into your accounts and once enabled, works continuously in the background to keep you secure.”

Jo Bacon, group CEO, M&C Saatchi UK, added, "At M&C Saatchi, we believe in harnessing Cultural Power to tackle some of society’s biggest challenges, and cyber fraud is a pressing issue that affects people across the UK. ‘Tough Protection’ is a brilliant example of how we can take a complex subject and communicate it in a way that is engaging, memorable, and culturally relevant.”

Clare Richardson, client partner, M&C Saatchi UK, commented, "Using humour and a memorable visual device, ‘Tough Protection’ shows just how easy switching on 2-Step Verification really is. This campaign takes a vital cybersecurity message and delivers it in a way that will stick with people, ensuring they feel confident and equipped to protect themselves from fraud."