5th November 2026
As England rolls out specialist anti-fraud lessons in schools, questions are being raised about whether children in Scotland are receiving the same level of protection from scams, money muling and financial exploitation.
Children and young people are increasingly being targeted by criminals seeking to exploit their online activity, financial circumstances and lack of experience with banking.
Yet, while the UK Government has announced a new programme of anti-fraud lessons for schools in England, there is a question over whether Scotland has an equivalent, coordinated approach.
On 4 November 2026, the UK Government announced that specialist anti-fraud lessons would be offered to schools across England, helping children aged 10 to 18 recognise scams, understand financial exploitation and avoid becoming unwitting participants in money-laundering operations.
The initiative comes amid growing concerns about so-called money mules, where criminals persuade or coerce young people into allowing their bank accounts to be used to transfer stolen money.
Government figures cited in the announcement indicate that 22,000 money-muling incidents were reported in 2025, with one in five involving someone under the age of 21.
The consequences for young people can be serious. Those caught moving criminal funds can have their bank accounts blocked, face difficulties accessing financial services and potentially encounter problems obtaining student loans, employment or housing.
The new English programme has been developed by specialist police officers from the South West Regional Organised Crime Unit in collaboration with the PSHE Association. It provides teaching materials for schools, alongside guidance for teachers, parents and carers.
The lessons cover money laundering, financial exploitation, recognising suspicious approaches and knowing where to seek help.
But what is happening in Scotland?
Scotland has financial education resources, but is there a coordinated anti-fraud programme?
Scotland already has a framework for financial education through Curriculum for Excellence, with resources available to help teachers explain money management, saving, borrowing and financial decision-making.
Education Scotland provides financial education materials, including its Your Money Matters textbook for secondary school pupils aged 14 to 16. The resource covers subjects such as spending, saving, debt, insurance and financial planning.
However, financial literacy and specialist anti-fraud education are not necessarily the same thing.
Knowing how to budget or manage a bank account does not automatically equip a teenager to recognise a fraudulent job offer, understand the risks of accepting money to transfer between accounts or identify attempts at online financial exploitation.
Police Scotland also provides specific advice about money-mule schemes, warning that young people, particularly students, are common targets.
Its guidance explains how criminals approach potential victims and encourages anyone who has been exploited to report the incident and seek support.
There are also wider safeguarding resources from Education Scotland covering online abuse and exploitation.
These are important elements of prevention, but they do not in themselves demonstrate that every Scottish school has access to a dedicated programme of anti-fraud lessons equivalent to the new English initiative.
Resources are available across the UK – but are Scottish schools using them?
There is another important development.
In October 2026, fraud prevention organisation Cifas announced a renewed partnership with the PSHE Association to develop educational materials helping young people aged 11 to 18 understand the dangers of fraud and scams.
The initiative is intended to support young people across the country.
This raises an important question for Scottish education authorities: are these resources being actively promoted and incorporated into schools in Scotland, or is their use largely dependent on individual teachers and schools identifying and adopting them?
The distinction matters. Making resources available is not the same as ensuring that children receive consistent education about the risks.
Young people need to recognise how criminals operate
The methods used by fraudsters are constantly changing.
Young people may be approached through social media, gaming platforms, messaging applications or seemingly legitimate employment opportunities.
An offer to make easy money by receiving funds into a bank account and transferring them elsewhere can appear harmless, particularly to someone who may be struggling financially or looking for their first job.
In other cases, criminals use threats, intimidation or intimate images to force young people into transferring money or becoming involved in criminal activity.
Education therefore needs to go beyond traditional warnings about suspicious emails and online scams.
Pupils should understand what money muling involves, why criminals target them, the potential legal and financial consequences, and where they can turn if they have already become involved.
Crucially, children who have been manipulated or coerced should be encouraged to seek help rather than remain silent out of fear or embarrassment.
Should Scotland follow England's lead?
The English announcement provides an opportunity to examine whether Scotland's current approach goes far enough.
Scotland has existing financial education resources, Police Scotland guidance and safeguarding programmes. The challenge is ensuring that these translate into consistent, practical anti-fraud education for children of different ages.
The Scottish Government should clarify whether it intends to introduce a dedicated anti-fraud education programme for schools, whether the new Cifas and PSHE Association resources will be promoted across Scotland, and how schools are expected to teach pupils about money muling and financial exploitation.
It should also establish whether teachers have sufficient training and support to identify the warning signs when a child is being targeted.
With young people increasingly exposed to sophisticated scams and online criminal networks, prevention cannot rely solely on parents, banks and police intervening after something has gone wrong.
Financial education must include understanding financial crime and knowing how to avoid becoming a victim – or an unwitting participant.
The question is not simply whether Scotland has financial education in its schools. It is whether Scottish children are being given the specific knowledge and practical tools they need to recognise and resist the criminals targeting them.
If England is taking steps to make anti-fraud education a more prominent part of school life, Scotland should explain what equivalent protection it is providing to its young people.
Anti-fraud lessons rolled out across schools in England
Financial Education resources