Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent emails, texts and calls from scammers pretending to be their bank. In fact, the Federal Trade Commission’s report on fraud estimates that American consumers lost a staggering $1.9 billion to these phishing schemes and other fraud in 2019 — and the ongoing pandemic has only increased the threat. Imagine 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. At Lake Central Bank, we’re committed to helping you spot them to help protect your personal information. We’ve joined with the American Bankers Association and banks across the country in a nationwide effort to fight phishing—one scam at a time. We want every bank customer to become a pro at spotting a phishing scam—and stop bank impostors in their tracks. It
starts with these four words: Banks Never Ask That. Because when you know what sounds suspicious, you’ll be less likely to be fooled.
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 never ask that.
• 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 the 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. During the month of October we’ll be sharing resources across our social media platforms to help you best protect yourself. Be sure to follow along! For additional resources check out www.BanksNeverAskThat.com, as well as our CONversations about CONs webpage.
And finally…win big all month long! Take a five-minute quiz and become a scamspotter pro! Share your scam score on Twitter for a chance to win weekly prizes, courtesy of the American Bankers Association. Each Friday in October the ABA will draw 15 winners. One lucky grand-prize winner will receive $1,000 – will it be you?
