Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent texts, calls and emails from scammers pretending to be their bank. And in this time of expanded use of online banking, the problem is only growing worse. That’s why, this October, we’ve joined with the American Bankers Association, and banks across our nation, in an effort to fight phishing – one scam at a time. Follow us on Social Media for tips you can use to identify scams.
Did you know?
The Federal Trade Commission’s report on fraud estimates that American consumers lost a staggering $1.9 billion to phishing schemes and other fraud in 2019 — and the ongoing pandemic has only increased the threat.
Think about where we are in 2020. It’s time to put scammers in their place. Online scams aren’t so scary when you know what to look for, and it starts with four little words:
Banks Never Ask That.
When you know what phrases and questions sound suspicious, you’ll be less likely to be scammed out of your hard-earned money.
These top 3 phishing scams are full of red flags:
- Text Message: If you receive a text message from someone claiming to be your bank asking you to sign in, or offer up your personal information, it’s a scam. Banks might alert you to fraudulent activity, or send you messages via text, but they will never send you a link asking for login credentials or your password.
- Email: Watch out for emails that ask you to click a suspicious link or provide personal information. The sender may claim to be someone from you bank, but it’s a scam. Banks never ask that.
- Phone Call: Would your bank ever call you to verify your account number? No! Banks never ask that.
If you’re ever in doubt that a caller is legitimate, just hang up and call the bank directly at a number you trust.
You’ve probably seen some of these scams before. But that doesn’t stop a scammer from trying. For more tips on how to keep phishing criminals at bay, including videos, an interactive quiz and more, visit www.BanksNeverAskThat.com. Be sure to share the webpage with your friends and family and follow us on social media for more.
And, to see banks across America come together to fight phishing follow the hashtag #BanksNeverAskThat