Bastaki: We strive to promote financial culture among the youth through awareness sessions circulating schools and universities

National Bank of Kuwait (NBK) continues its consistent efforts to promote financial and banking awareness among all sectors under the umbrella of the “Let’s Be Aware” campaign introduced by the Central Bank of Kuwait, in cooperation with Kuwait Banking Association (KBA).

In this context, the bank delivered a presentation on common fraud schemes and protection measures for the students of the British School of Kuwait (BSK). The session was presented to 250 students aged 12-15, specifically targeting this group as recent NBK studies show they are most prone to fraud and least aware of online dangers.

The session tackled many key topics related to common fraud schemes and protection measures to keep banking and personal accounts secure, emphasizing social media safety, guiding students on identifying potential threats in a digital world that is becoming increasingly complex for young users.

During the presentation, NBK team shared real-life fraud cases, illustrating how fraudsters operate and emphasizing the importance of awareness to avoid becoming victims. This wasn’t just about raising awareness, but also about empowering students to be vigilant and proactive in protecting their assets and personal data.

The session was designed to be interactive, allowing students to ask questions, discuss online scenarios, and engage directly with NBK representatives, making the information more relatable and memorable.

NBK team advised students to avoid clicking suspicious links, whether those appearing on social media or received via e-mail from scammers who impersonate well-known banks, telecom or other companies by using their logos, as these messages and communications target stealing banking or personal information.

NBK team also advised students to use strong passwords to protect different personal accounts online, create different passwords and not to use the same password for all accounts, highlighting that each account should have a unique password as when computer or smartphone is hacked, using the same password may expose all online accounts to hacking as well.

Students were advised to use long passwords that contain at least 8 characters with a mix of letters, numbers, and symbols, as the longer the password, the more difficult it is to hack. They were also warned against using personal information in passwords, such as birth date, family names, and simple number sequences.

“We always strive to promote financial culture and banking awareness among the youth by organizing awareness sessions and seminars in schools and universities to educate them on the latest fraud trends and protection measures. These visits reinforce our efforts to protect all sectors from fraud, and help raise banking awareness among the public,” commented Farah Bastaki, Manager, Digital Communications at National Bank of Kuwait.

“Educating customers is instrumental in our strategy, as we believe proactive education on scams and preventive measures can minimize potential risks and promote financial stability,” she emphasized.

“We call the students to follow the tips provided across the bank’s digital platforms, as scammers tend to employ new methods using AI techniques. Therefore, we intensify the awareness content published on our social media accounts, in addition to reposting CBK’s related communications,” she added.

“NBK employs its strong customer communication capabilities as well as all its sector-leading digital channels to maximize the reach of the “Let’s Be Aware” campaign’s objectives among the public,” she concluded.

Introduced by the Central Bank of Kuwait, in cooperation with Kuwaiti banks and Kuwait Banking Association, the “Let’s Be Aware” campaign is the largest across the GCC region focusing on raising banking and financial awareness among banks’ customers. The campaign covers a variety of crucial topics including: anti-fraud tips, raising awareness on high-risk investments, maximizing benefit from banking services, promoting savings and investment culture, as well as other related topics.

It is worth mentioning that NBK is a key supporter and partner in all CBK’s campaigns and initiatives to increase financial and banking awareness among different sectors. As the leading financial institution in Kuwait, the bank frequently organizes various activities to raise awareness on all topics related to the banking sector.