Fidelity Bank Joins Anti-Phishing Campaign
10/11/2023
By: Biz New Orleans
NEW ORLEANS — From Fidelity Bank:
On Oct. 10, Fidelity Bank joined the American Bankers Association and banks across the nation to promote an industry-wide campaign educating consumers about the persistent threat of phishing scams.
The FTC estimates that consumers lost $8.8 billion to phishing and other fraud in 2022, an increase of more than 40% compared to 2021. To combat phishing, the award winning #BanksNeverAskThat campaign uses attention-grabbing humor and other engaging content to empower consumers to identify bogus bank communications asking for sensitive information like their passwords and social security numbers.
“Phishing and other scams are still a major ongoing issue for bank customers across the U.S., Fidelity is joining the ABA’s campaign to spread the word and educate consumers so they are better equipped to identify, recognize and not fall for these phishing schemes.”
- Fidelity Bank President and CEO Chris Ferris
“By impersonating a bank, a scammer can steal thousands of dollars with just one text message, phone call or email,” said Paul Benda, senior vice president, operational risk and cybersecurity at ABA. “With the strong support of participating banks like Fidelity Bank, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign seeks to turn the tables by arming consumers with the information they need to outsmart the scammers and protect their money.”
Fidelity Bank, along with banks from across the U.S., will join forces with ABA to kick off this year’s month-long campaign to mark October as National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Throughout the month Fidelity Bank will share the campaigns messaging via email, on social media and in its branches to highlight common phishing schemes and how to avoid them. Because cybersecurity education and fraud awareness can often be dull and forgettable to many consumers, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign is designed to be bright and bold with a bit of comedy.
“Would you rather give up sugar or salt?,” one of the campaign’s social media posts asks users. “Banks texting you about sweet vs savory would be just as weird as banks texting you a link to login, ‘cause #BanksNeverAskThat.”
The campaign’s short videos offer similarly ridiculous scenarios like wallpapering a room with cash, roasting marshmallows over a cash fire and recycling cash on garbage day to remind people they stand to lose real money if they aren’t vigilant. Consumers are directed to BanksNeverAskThat.com where they will find a new interactive quiz, the “Scam City” video game, engaging videos, and tips on how to spot phishing scams. This year, the campaign is also offering a Spanish language version of the website, BancosNuncaPidenEso.com, and providing a host of other #BanksNeverAskThat consumer resources in Spanish.