BankWest has joined the American Bankers Association (ABA) and banks across the U.S. for the #BanksNeverAskThat Anti-Phishing Campaign, a coordinated, industry-wide effort to protect consumers during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month.
Throughout the month, BankWest will put forth a concerted effort to educate consumers about the persistent threat of phishing scams. The organization will share tips and videos via social media channels to help consumers identify fake bank communications asking for sensitive information like their passwords and social security numbers. BankWest also held several Fraud Talk events across the state in August, educating customers about the latest scams.
The Federal Trade Commission estimates that consumers lost $5.8 billion to phishing and other fraud in 2021, an increase of more than 70% compared to 2020.
“Phishing attempts are at an all-time high and scammers are targeting consumers from every direction—by text, phone and email,” said Jody Engel, Winner BankWest Branch Manager. “Education and awareness are key to helping customers spot a scam, so we hope to help them stay one step ahead of the scammers.”
Here are a few tips to protect yourself from phishing attempts:
Never change a password, issue a payment or perform other sensitive tasks based on an unsolicited request.
Never give out personal information such as account numbers, usernames, one time access codes, passwords or Social Security numbers.
Beware of messages or calls requesting any sort of urgent response. Do not respond to pressure to take any sort of immediate action.
If you do receive a phone call, email or text message requesting sensitive information, hang up and call the party back to verify whether the request is legitimate. Use a phone number from a trusted source or directory rather than caller ID to verify you are calling a legitimate source.
For more information about phishing scams and how to stop fraudsters in their tracks, visit www.BanksNeverAskThat.com.
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