Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, which can make it harder to spot the signs of a scam. But their tactics can still follow familiar patterns. Unexpected contact, pressure to act quickly or in secrecy, requests for payment, and messages that don’t quite add up are all signs that you should stop and challenge what you’re being told.
Read Between the Lies is a free collection of short crime fiction stories inspired by real fraud tactics.
Written by three bestselling British crime authors, each story brings a different scam to life – from job scams and impersonation fraud to romance and investment scams – showing how criminals draw people in and where the warning signs appear.
Crime fiction stories train us to:
- Question what we’re being told
- Look for inconsistencies
- Follow the clues
This short story collection encourages you to apply those same detective instincts to real‑life scams.
How to spot the clues scammers leave behind
Just like a great detective, taking a moment to stop and think can reveal what’s really going on. Look out for:
- Unexpected contact out of the blue
- Pressure to act quickly or keep things secret
- Offers that feel urgent, emotive or too good to be true
- Requests for payment or personal information
Dive deeper with the authors
The authors behind Read Between the Lies come together with host and influencer Francesca Pavis in three short video podcast episodes, to explore how their stories mirror real‑world fraud
Credit Take five stop fraud for this information https://www.takefive-stopfraud.org.uk/read-between-the-lies/
