​Lakeland Bank Joins ABA to Launch Anti-Phishing Campaign​

Lakeland Bank has joined the American Bankers Association and banks across the nation in launching a first-of-its-kind, industry-wide campaign to educate consumers about the persistent threat of phishing scams. The FTC estimates that consumers lost $1.48 billion to phishing schemes in 2018 and the ongoing pandemic has only increased the threat. To combat phishing, the #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.

“We are proud to partner with the ABA and other banks across the country to promote the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign, especially during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month,” said Jim Nigro, Executive Vice President, Chief Risk Officer, “As a trusted financial partner, it is our job to make sure our customers are aware of the types of scams that are out there and how they can protect themselves from cybercrime activities that try to steal their private information and money.”

“This campaign is an unprecedented effort by the banking industry to address a growing threat to our customers,” said Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO. “Thanks to participating banks like Lakeland Bank, we’re turning the tables on the bad guys by giving consumers the tools they need to spot illegitimate bank communications.”

The #BanksNeverAskThat campaign will be simultaneously launched on Oct. 1 to mark the beginning of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Lakeland Bank will share eye-catching and 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 topics 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?” To learn more about stopping fraudsters in their tracks, consumers are encouraged to visit www.BanksNeverAskThat.com to take the #BanksNeverAskThat quiz and access information about phishing scams that include videos, phishing red flags, tips and FAQs.

Visit Lakeland Bank’s Identity Theft Center for more information on this topic and read the blog, The Questions Your Bank Will Never Ask You.