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The “too good to be true” yes (small business owners, this one’s for you)

ended 08. January 2026

Small business owners, quick one. When you’re tired, stressed, and you just need a win, your judgment gets wobbly.

That’s when you say yes to the shiny offer that feels like rescue: miracle marketing, bargain suppliers, “we’ll fix everything for you” services, cheap finance, fast fixes. You hope it’s real… but deep down you know it’s probably going to bite you in the bum later.

The FCA puts it bluntly: if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is. 

And scams hit businesses, too. UK Finance reported that in the first half of 2024, authorised push payment scam losses totalled £213.7m, including £47.2m in business (non-personal) losses, with 3,427 non-personal cases reported. 

Questions (I want real answers here):

  1. What kind of “too good to be true” offer tempts you most when you’re under pressure?
  2. What’s your personal red flag list before you sign or pay anything?
  3. Do you have a rule for big decisions, like “sleep on it” or “get a second pair of eyes”?
  4. Have you ever ignored your gut and paid for it later? What happened?
  5. Who sanity-checks your decisions when you’re tired and just want it solved?
  6. What protections do you wish banks, platforms, or regulators offered small firms that would actually make a difference?

Sources (links):

FCA “Protect yourself from scams”: https://www.fca.org.uk/consumers/protect-yourself-scams 

UK Finance Half Year Fraud Report 2024 (PDF): https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/system/files/2024-10/Half%20Year%20Fraud%20Report%202024.pdf 

UK Finance press release summary: https://www.ukfinance.org.uk/news-and-insight/press-release/over-ps570-million-stolen-fraudsters-in-first-half-2024 

 

2 responses from the Newspage community

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Editor
Kate Underwood
Founder & Chief People Strategist at Kate Underwood HR and Training
Scammers don’t hack your systems first – they hack your stress. When you’re tired, stretched, and desperate for a win, your brain wants the quick fix. That’s when miracle marketing, bargain suppliers, “we’ll handle everything, cheap finance and fast fixes start sounding like oxygen. The FCA’s blunt for a reason: if it feels too good to be true, it probably is. And scams don’t just nick money. They smash cash flow, delay payroll, and dump stress on your team. Being scammed doesn’t pause your legal duties either. You still have to pay people right, follow the process, and keep records straight. My red flags: urgency, secrecy, upfront fees, “bank details changed today”, vague contracts, WhatsApp-only comms, and prices that make zero sense. Tip: for any bank change, always call back on a known number. No exceptions.
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Colette Mason
AI Ethics Consultant at Clever Clogs AI
Honestly? More banking systems that spot when you're about to transfer money outside your normal patterns, at odd hours, to new recipients, and just pause it for twelve hours. Not block it. Not lecture you. Just: "Sleep on this one. We'll release it tomorrow if you still want to." Scammers don't exploit greed, they also exploit exhaustion. They know exactly when small business owners are too tired to think straight, too overwhelmed to check properly, and too desperate for a win to trust their gut.

Your personal bank could check if you're getting dopamine hits from frivolous spending, if there was a way to tell it what your bad habits are.

The tech exists to build banking AI that protects humans on their bad days, not just flags fraud after the money's gone. Let's use it more. We don't need smarter warnings. We need institutional systems designed around how real humans actually make terrible decisions when they're stressed and running on fumes, and give them the safeguards they need.