America’s banks join forces in coordinated, industry-wide campaign to protect consumers during National Cybersecurity Awareness Month
Today Bank of Sun Prairie joined the American Bankers Association and banks across the nation to promote an industry-wide campaign educating consumers about the persistent and growing threat of scams. The FTC estimates that consumers lost $12.5 billion to scams in 2024, an increase of 25% compared to 2023. To combat these scams, 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.
“It’s especially important for all of us to be diligent when it comes to recognizing scams. We’re all at risk; we need to take a moment to really understand if what is being presented to us is in reality criminals at work,” stated Jimmy Kauffman, president and chief executive officer at Bank of Sun Prairie. “This campaign by the American Bankers Association really hits the mark with humor and memorable examples to help us all get better at being safe.”
“As scams become increasingly sophisticated, it’s critical that individuals understand how to recognize and avoid deceptive tactics,” said Paul Benda, senior vice president, operational risk and cybersecurity at ABA. “The #BanksNeverAskThat campaign is designed to do just that —empowering consumers with knowledge in a way that’s engaging and memorable. By joining the campaign, Bank of Sun Prairie and financial institutions throughout the country are helping their customers stay one step ahead of scammers.”
Bank of Sun Prairie, along with banks from across the U.S., will join forces with ABA to kick off this year’s updated campaign on Oct. 1 to mark the beginning of National Cybersecurity Awareness Month. Throughout the month Bank of Sun Prairie will share eye-catching and engaging short videos and consumer tips on social media and in bank branches designed to highlight common scams. 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.
This year’s campaign theme, “Snap Out of It!” highlights that scammers often lure consumers into a false sense of trust and security – almost a spellbound state – while demanding urgent action. The campaign’s short videos show various scams in progress, but before the consumer can be defrauded, a bank employee calls attention to the red flags and encourages the victim to “snap out of it!” The trance is broken, and the scammers are stopped in their tracks.
In addition to videos, consumers can find an interactive quiz, the educational “Scam City” video game, and tips on how to spot a scam at BanksNeverAskThat.com. There is also a Spanish language version of the website, BancosNuncaPidenEso.com, which provides a host of #BanksNeverAskThat resources in Spanish.
For more information about scams and how to stop fraudsters in their tracks, visit BanksNeverAskThat.com.
Bank of Sun Prairie [bankofsunprairie.com] is a locally owned, full-service community bank with $724 million in assets and four branches in Sun Prairie and Cottage Grove, Wis. Its mission is to be trusted advisor and community ally lifting people and organizations up, milestone to milestone, through leading-edge financial services and personal support. Member FDIC. Equal Opportunity Lender.
