October is Cybersecurity Awareness Month and Bankers Trust (bankerstrust.com) is encouraging consumers and businesses to stay alert for scams that impersonate financial institutions through emails, text messages, and phone calls.
Bankers Trust is proud to support the American Bankers Association’s #BanksNeverAskThat campaign. The initiative reminds consumers of 10 things banks will never ask you to do:
Log in with a link via email; Help with an “investigation;” Move money to other accounts; Take urgent action by using scare tactics; Read back text codes on a phone call; Verify your online banking username or password over the phone or by text; Provide your full Social Security Number over the phone or by text; Provide your PIN number just to “verify who you are;” Click suspicious links or open unexpected attachments; Provide your account number, PIN, or address during a phone call or text initiated by the bank.
“Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated, making it important for consumers to know the warning signs of fraud,” said Scott Leighton, Nebraska Market President at Bankers Trust. “Staying alert and taking time to verify unexpected communications can go a long way in protecting your financial information.”
If you think you’ve been targeted by a scam, contact your bank immediately, review your recent transactions and update your online banking passwords. If personal information has been compromised, visit IdentityTheft.gov for guidance on next steps.
For additional fraud prevention resources, visit the Bankers Trust Education Center at bankerstrust.com.