Vulnerability Matters

In our fourth ‘Vulnerability Voices’ instalment, Owen describes how he suddenly became an unpaid carer. He explains to Michael Hilton from Three Hands Insight about the shock of taking on the carer role, how he under-estimated the challenge of looking after someone, and the frustration (and occasional joy) of engaging with essential services.

Tom and Gordon explain how their lives were suddenly turned upside down by unexpected and devastating drops in their incomes. Describing the impact that the resulting debt and exclusion had on every aspect of their personal and family lives, they share with Michael Hilton what was probably the greatest shock of all: the ineffective responses of the very organisations they thought could help them.

Financial services can be a complex world to navigate. But for many customers it can be so difficult, they have to rely on other people (‘third-parties’) to make everyday transactions and decisions for them. But what if there was another way? Lucy and Matt Robinson talk about their experiences of learning disability and banking, and why a new approach might allow customers like Lucy to make their own financial decisions, rather than being substituted for someone else.

Romanced by Prince William, Brad Pitt, and 100 different Keanu Reeves, Becky Holmes turned her lockdown hobby of "scamming the scammers" into a much deeper exploration of the multi-million pound romance fraud industry. Becky talks with Chris Fitch about fake oil rig workers, scammer compounds, and her book ‘Keanu Reeves Is Not In Love With You’. linkedin.com/in/beckyholmeshatesspinach x.com/deathtospinach

Half of UK adults have characteristics of vulnerability. This is the most quoted FCA statistic in history. But what does it mean? And does the debate surrounding it overshadow other FCA statistical gems we should know about too? Sarah Montgomery from the FCA reveals the hidden treasures of the Financial Lives Survey to Chris Fitch. www.fca.org.uk/financial-lives [email protected] https://www.linkedin.com/company/financial-conduct-authority

In our second ‘Vulnerability Voices’ instalment, Lindsay and Sage describe life as a customer with a conviction. They explain to Michael Hilton the barriers they have encountered when using essential services, and the ‘cloud’ of stigma following them from release to rehabilitation. www.threehandsinsight.co.uk www.linkedin.com/in/michael-hilton-39b02310a

Instinctively, as a society, we condemn those who abuse an older person’s trust and finances. But today’s guest, Richard Robinson (from the Hourglass charity) contends that such a moral response comes too late. Instead, what would be more valuable than the condemnation of such economic abuse, would be its prevention. So how can charities like Hourglass not only respond, but also prevent older peoples’ economic abuse? What can essential service firms realistically do? And is it really true that unchecked, economic abuse can literally shorten the life of an older person? https://www.wearehourglass.org/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/richard-r-7836b929/

Chris Fitch speaks with mother and daughter, Lin and Lou Baxter, about how one phone call turned into a scam worth thousands. Through their eyes, Lin shows that it was not the lost money that shook her most, but the interactions with her bank that followed. And the twist in the tail? Lou leads the National Trading Standards Scams Team, showing that anyone – even where fraud is in the family (in the right way) - can be affected like this. https://www.linkedin.com/in/louise-baxter-mbe-77194337/ https://www.nationaltradingstandards.uk/work-areas/scams-team/ https://moneyadvicetrust.org/training-and-consultancy/vulnerability-academy?utm_source=academy&utm_medium=redirect

Chris Fitch speaks to one of the UK’s most notorious scammers: Alex Wood. Over the course of a decade, Alex stole millions of pounds from scamming, but now works to prevent it. In this episode, Alex talks about the psychology of scammers, how they engineer trust, and how they protect themselves by creating emotional distance from their victims. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m002h2gt https://www.linkedin.com/in/beatfraud/ https://moneyadvicetrust.org/training-and-consultancy/vulnerability-public-sessions/#outcomes-and-vulnerability

In our new feature ‘Vulnerability Voices’, we’ll be hearing directly from customers about their lives, circumstances, and interactions with essential services. Today, Anne and Robert explain to Michael Hilton from Three Hands Insight how serious illness has reshaped their personal and financial lives.