October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and The Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod has announced its participation in the American Bankers Association’s national anti-phishing campaign to deter online scams.
Every day, thousands of people fall victim to fraudulent emails, texts and calls from scammers pretending to be their bank. The Federal Trade Commission’s 2019 report on fraud estimates that American consumers lost a staggering $1.48 billion to phishing scams in 2018. The problem has only grown worse during the COVID-19 pandemic, given the increased use of online and digital banking tools.
In this first-of-its-kind campaign to educate consumers about the persistent threat of phishing scams, ABA president and CEO Rob Nichols said the campaign – signified by the hashtag #BanksNeverAskThat – aims to reinforce the fact that banks do not text, call or email customers asking for sensitive information like their passwords and PIN.
“As we put the highest priority on protecting our customers’ and clients’ financial information, we are happy to join the ABA in helping raise awareness of the deceptive and illegal on-line means thieves use to try to gain access to information and funds,” said Cooperative Bank President and CEO Lisa Oliver.
National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort between the government and the banking industry that seeks to raise awareness of cybercrimes and prevention every October. Because it coincides with the launch of #BanksNeverAskThat, the ABA is celebrating with a cybersecurity-month sweepstakes. Every week during the month of October, site visitors can test their scam savviness by taking the #BanksNeverAskThat quiz, then sharing it on Twitter for the chance to win one of 15 gift cards. All entrants in ABA’s sweepstakes will also be eligible to win the $1,000 grand prize at the end of the month.
For more information on the Cooperative Bank of Cape Cod’s participation in the campaign and for tips on what to do if someone suspects they have been targeted by a scammer visit https://www.thecooperativebankofcapecod.com/news/aba-and-americas-banks-launch-banksneveraskthat-anti-phishing-campaign/
