America's banks join forces in coordinated, industry-wide campaign to protect consumers during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Oak Ridge, N.J. – October 11, 2022 – Lakeland Bank has joined the American Bankers Association (ABA) 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 $5.8 billion to phishing and other fraud attempts in 2021, an increase of more than 70% compared to 2020. To combat phishing, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign uses attention-grabbing humor and other engaging content to empower consumers to identify fraudulent bank communications asking for sensitive and personal information like their passwords and social security numbers.
“We are proud to partner with the ABA again this year to promote the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign, especially during October and National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” said Jim Nigro, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, “We want to ensure our customers are aware of the latest scams criminals are performing and provide ways to help them protect their personal and financial information.”
“Phishing attempts are at an all-time high and scammers are targeting consumers from every direction—by text, phone and email,” said Paul Benda, Senior Vice President, Operational Risk and Cybersecurity at ABA. “Education and awareness are key to helping consumers spot a scam, and with help from participating banks like Lakeland Bank, we’re able to reach bank customers across the country so they can stay one step ahead of the scammers.”
Lakeland Bank, along with more than 1,000 banks from across the U.S. and ABA, kicked off this year’s updated campaign on October 3 to mark the beginning of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Lakeland will share engaging short videos, animated GIFs and consumer tips on social media and in bank branches designed to highlight common phishing schemes. Because cybersecurity education and fraud awareness can often be dull and forgettable to many consumers, the campaign is designed to be bright and bold with a bit of comedy.
The campaign’s short videos offer questions that banks would never ask, such as “We’ve spotted some unusual activity on your account, can you provide us your username and password?” or “Can you please verify your pin number?” Consumers are encouraged to visit www.BanksNeverAskThat.com where they will find an interactive game, videos, phishing red flags, tips and FAQs.
LakelandBank.com is a good resource for information on this topic and recently posted the blog The Questions Your Bank Will Never Ask You.
About Lakeland Bank
Lakeland Bank is the wholly-owned subsidiary of Lakeland Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ:LBAI), which has over $10 billion in total assets. With an extensive branch network and commercial lending centers throughout New Jersey and Highland Mills, N.Y., the Bank offers business and retail banking products and services. Business services include commercial loans and lines of credit, commercial real estate loans, loans for healthcare services, asset-based lending, equipment financing, small business loans and lines, and cash management services. Consumer services include online and mobile banking, home equity loans and lines, mortgage options and wealth management solutions. Lakeland is proud to be recognized as New Jersey's #1 Best-In-State Bank by Forbes and Statista, named a Best Bank To Work For by American Banker and Best Companies Group, rated a 5-Star Bank by Bauer Financial and named one of New Jersey’s 50 Fastest Growing Companies by NJBIZ. Visit LakelandBank.com for more information.
