MPT: Four Operators Team Up Against Fraudsters

In 2019 international payment gateway scams were spreading fast in Myanmar, and victims who lost money blamed the mobile operators whose networks the fraudsters used. MPT and the other three operators faced a shared reputation crisis: public anger was aimed at the sector rather than the criminals, and each brand risked being singled out.

MPT engaged Ruder Finn Era on behalf of the operators to educate consumers about how these scams take place and how to protect themselves, and to turn a defensive moment into a demonstration of corporate responsibility.

The strategic insight was that no single operator could win this alone, and that competing messages would only confuse consumers. Ruder Finn Era proposed a brand-agnostic content platform that media and all four operators could use freely on their social channels, in print and across other media.

The platform explained the mechanics of the scams in plain language and gave people simple steps to protect themselves, making the operators the source of the solution rather than the target of the blame.

Ruder Finn Era handled all media outreach, drawing on deep relationships to frame the campaign as a mission of corporate good that journalists believed in and wanted to support. The result was widespread participation from media and brands alike, and a reduction in the number of victims.