The Little Media Series with big advice helping us all prevent crime

The Little Media Series is a collection of advice and prevention tips designed by the Metropolitan Police to provide the public with information to protect themselves against cyber crime and fraudsters.

What are Little Media?

The Little Media Series began more than a decade ago, with The Little Book of Big Scams, but has since expanded to include:

• The Little Book of Cyber Scams
• The Little Leaflet of Cyber Advice
• The Little Booklet of Phone Scams
• 22 videos

Each part of the series explores a different topic or issue relating to fraud and cyber security, such as phone scams or banking security. The Little Book of Big Scams and The Little Book of Cyber Scams provide a full overview of the key scam types and attack vectors, and most importantly, how to mitigate them.

At the other end of the spectrum, The Little Leaflet provides Top Ten Tips to stay safe online. The videos and booklets delve further into specific cyber security tools and scam types to make sure people have as much information as possible to keep themselves safe from those seeking to exploit any weaknesses in security.

Dedicated officers from the Metropolitan Police Service’s Cyber Protect Team created the Little Media Series. They are experienced front-line police officers who have chosen to specialise by undertaking industry level qualifications in information security. To make sure the Little Media are as comprehensive as possible, officers draw upon not only police experiences of combating cyber-enabled fraud and cyber crime, but also expertise from the National Cyber Security Centre.

Many cyber attacks are initiated by means of social engineering, where the malicious actor manipulates the trust of a person to gain access to a system.  Many of these social engineering techniques are nearly identical to the trickery that has been employed for centuries by fraudsters to coax victims into handing over their money. For this reason, the Little Media Series includes wider fraud advice in addition to cyber security.

Why the Metropolitan Police?

The underlying principal of the Little Media Series is when it comes to security, prevention is better than a cure.

The Metropolitan Police Service was founded in 1829 with the mission to “detect and deter crime”.  The Little Media Series helps to deter cyber criminals by enabling members of the public to make themselves a harder target for fraudsters and cyber criminals.

For two hundred years the law enforcement community have been able to categorise crime according to whether it causes a problem due to the severity of the impact on the specific victim, or because of its sheer volume across society. Just like legitimate businesses, criminals have embraced emerging communications technology, and the result is a form of crime which is uniquely voluminous and severe.

The Metropolitan Police’s Cyber Protect Team engages daily with small and medium-sized businesses, government departments, and charities. One aspect of this work is to deliver training inputs to members of these organisations. Some packages are aimed atorganisational leadership; however, the advice the team gives to general user audiences is just as relevant to members of the public in their home lives. The Little Media Series allows the team to provide the general public with the same core messages about cyber security and counter-fraud.

Many people do not realise that UK law enforcement only pursues investigations where a victim is willing, or where there is a threat to life or limb. Therefore, another key role of the Cyber Protect Team is to engage with victim organisations, ensuring that every fraud and cyber crime is reported to Action Fraud and recorded in as much detail as possible. As a result, the Little Media Series is based on a thorough understanding of the techniques employed by fraudsters and malicious actors.

Where do I find Little Media?

Digital versions of the Little Media books and leaflets are available alongside the 22 videos on the Metropolitan Police website www.met.police.uk/littlemedia.

The Metropolitan Police provides hard copies of all literature to anyone in London. Some of the booklets are also provided by the majority of other UK police forces and several Cyber Resilience Centres (CRCs), including the CRC for London. Some high street banks have also adopted them to help their clients. The Little Leaflet of Cyber Advice features in the Metropolitan Police Cyber Protect Team’s Escape Room training input, which is provided for free to any small or medium-sized business, public sector organisation, or charity based in London.

Oliver Clixby

Metropolitan Police Cyber Protect Team

www.met.police.uk/cyberprotect