There's a new superhero in town

The first superhero in banking has landed. In the build up to Christmas also known as the month of sheer panic online shopping, Barclays have introduced a new hero to help keep us safe from online crooks. Newly launched and aptly named ‘Supercon’ is here to fight online con artists and help keep your money safe while shopping online.

No doubt you have spotted the TV ad by now, where Supercon is positioned as the must have Christmas toy. Forget the Batmobile of ’89, Barbie dolls of ’93 or the Furby’s of ’98, 2017 every kid wants a Supercon figurine under the tree. However all is not as it seems. The site is a scam set up to steal your account details with no intention of sending the toy to you. Highlighting the fact that unfortunately scams like this are more common than you may think, in fact online crimes now account for half of all crimes reported in the UK.

But have no fear, Supercon is here! Here to help you defeat the online fraudsters with tips and quizzes to help consumers recognize fraud activity and avoid handing over their card details to non-secure sites.

With the usual torrent of Christmas advertising upon us, this one really stood out for me. Disguised as another ‘must-have’ Christmas purchase but with a serious message behind it, it has stuck in my mind and made sure the security tips are similarly engrained in my mind too. An unusual injection of personality rarely seen in the banking category and clever marketing of what could have been a boring topic. I love the fact that Barclay’s have had a bit of fun with this and played around with the cliché of the annual children’s gift madness, scenes from the film ‘Jingle all the way’ spring to mind!

In a snowstorm (pun absolutely intended) of Christmas ads, Barclay’s I really enjoyed this one!