The Financial Conduct Authority Turns Fake ATM Into Real Warning About Scams

​The Financial Conduct Authority and M+C Saatchi Group UK have launched a live experiential activation at London Waterloo Station that deliberately plays on first impressions, curiosity and fine print to bring the message of its Firm Checker campaign to life.

The activation launches as part of the FCA’s wider ‘Check if it’s real, before you seal the deal’ campaign, created by M+C Saatchi Group UK to promote the FCA’s Firm Checker tool. The campaign is designed to position the FCA as the official place to go when people are making financial decisions, and to encourage checking whether a financial firm is genuine and authorised as a default behaviour before investing or borrowing.

Installed overnight, the activation combines a large-scale physical billboard with an interactive, gold-finished ‘ATM’. The physical billboard is designed to blend seamlessly into its surroundings. From fake station posters and signage to an integrated bench and architectural detailing, every element was crafted to make the structure feel as though it had always been part of the station, rather than a temporary brand installation. Together, the billboard and ‘ATM’ draw people in visually from a distance before encouraging them to step closer and engage.

As curious passers-by engage with the ‘ATM’, the experience subverts expectations. What initially appears to be a giveaway begins to feel uncomfortably like money is being taken rather than offered. At that moment, the machine opens to reveal Emil the Seal, who delivers the campaign’s core message and a literal fortune cookie, urging people to “Check if it’s real, before you seal the deal”. The interaction is designed to make people question their assumptions and realise how easily surface-level financial promises can be misleading.

The ‘ATM’ mechanic mirrors the tactics often used in investment scams. By tempting people with the idea of a quick reward and only revealing the reality at the last moment, the activation recreates the emotional journey that can lead consumers to overlook crucial checks. The moment of realisation turns that insight into a physical, memorable intervention.

Emil the Seal, first introduced in the wider multichannel campaign, plays a central role in anchoring the activation to the broader creative platform. Rather than acting as a traditional mascot, Emil functions as a visual interruption, reinforcing the importance of stopping to verify whether a financial firm is genuine and authorised.

Creatively, the activation reflects the campaign’s wider strategy of meeting people in everyday moments and interrupting behaviour rather than relying on awareness alone. While many consumers believe they are 'doing their research', the work highlights how easily, the crucial step of checking can be missed when something appears attractive or urgent.

By staging the activation in a high-footfall commuter setting, the FCA and M+C Saatchi place the Firm Checker message into a real-world context where people are making fast decisions, reinforcing the idea that checking should be a default habit, not an afterthought.

Miten Patel, head of campaigns and events at the FCA, said, “Too often, people assume investment scams are something that happens to others. This activation is designed to challenge that assumption by recreating the moment where details are easily missed. By encouraging people to stop and use the FCA’s Firm Checker tool, we are reinforcing the importance of checking whether a firm is genuine and authorised before committing any money.”

​Guy Bradbury, creative partner, M+C Saatchi Group UK, said, “Scams work because they look legit, and people rarely stop to read the fine print. So, we drew people in with something familiar they use every day, a cash machine – but offering a fortune. We then flipped it, revealing the FCA’s new campaign mascot and a fortune cookie, before delivering a more serious message: check if a company is real before you seal the deal.”

The activation forms part of the wider ‘Check if it’s real, before you seal the deal’ campaign, which is running across TV, VOD, OLV, social video, radio and PR channels in the UK. Media planning and buying is handled by MGOMD.