Sesame Street’s Count von Count has teamed up with Take9 on a new campaign to combat online scams. The “Count Before You Click” video series encourages users to do just that — stop for a count of nine before you click or download something. Scammers rely on instilling a sense of urgency in their victims, so Take9’s aim is to counteract that by encouraging people to pause and count to nine. This pause can help someone interrupt their panic at the message’s urgency and notice potential red flags that point to a scam.
The videos feature The Count helping Take9’s team spread their message in fun and engaging ways. In one video, a woman participating in a home exercise program suddenly receives an urgent message from her bank. The Count interrupts and guides her through a nine-second routine that gives her time to evaluate the message more closely and realize it is fraudulent.
