Crews Bank & Trust Blog | Margo Leiter, CISM, Information Security Officer

Man's hand holding a cellphone which is displaying a smishing text.

DON’T CLICK THE LINK! How to Prevent Falling Victim to Phone Scammers

According to Consumer Affairs, in 2023, there were over 310 million smartphone users in the US. Text message open rates are estimated to be as high..

Young man looking at his computer and talking to his banker about being scammed.

Security and Fraud Prevention

Stay Sharp: Tips to Avoid Being Scammed

In an act of desperation, Terry* frantically picked up the phone and called his Personal Banker at Crews Bank & Trust. Minutes before, when he logged..

Top 10 Things to Do if Your Account Is Compromised

We’ve all heard nightmare stories about someone who has become the victim of credit fraud; however, what have you done to protect your financial..

Older woman in an apron looking at a laptop

Security and Fraud Prevention Online Banking

6 Cybersecurity Business Ideas to Protect Against Email Compromise

Companies of all sizes are being targeted by criminals through business email compromise scams. In these scams, cybercriminals gain access to an..

Older woman looking concerned at her phone

Security and Fraud Prevention

Want to Save $1,170? Hang Up.

During the pandemic, my phone was ringing off the hook, as many fraudsters took advantage of our isolation. They knew we were lonely, stuck at home..

People in dark clothes looking at a screen representing hackers

Business Security and Fraud Prevention Online Banking Savings

Avoid Corporate Account Takeover

Cybercriminals are targeting small businesses with increasingly sophisticated attacks. “Corporate account takeover” is a form of identity theft of a..

Business Security and Fraud Prevention

Business Owners Need Ransomware Protection

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that locks up your files so that you no longer can access them and demands you pay a ransom to unlock the..

Security and Fraud Prevention

COVID-19 Brings Out the Scammers

To paraphrase a famous expression: When the going gets tough, the scammers get going. Scammers are even identifying themselves as bank employees to..

Security and Fraud Prevention

IRS Lists Dirty Dozen Tax Scams

It’s the time of year when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) releases its list of the latest tax scams. Scammers routinely use the anxiety of tax..

Security and Fraud Prevention

“Funny Money” No Laughing Matter

iTestCash is a company dedicated to helping big and small businesses throughout the U.S. and abroad. Its CEO, Alex Reichmann, comes from a family..

Young man smiling looking at receipts and his laptop

Security and Fraud Prevention

Stop Ransomware Before It Stops You!

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts files, preventing access until a demanded sum of money is paid in exchange to unlock files...

Man in glasses smiling while entering card information into his phone

Security and Fraud Prevention

8 Ways to Avoid Online Fraud

Cyberattacks are becoming more and more sophisticated and common. According to the 2019 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report, 152 million U.S...

Security and Fraud Prevention

A Dozen Ways to Protect Your Mobile Device from Hackers

As of January 2020, there were approximately 246.3 million mobile internet users in the United States, accounting for 87 percent of the population,..

Person entering information into a laptop, no face is shown

Security and Fraud Prevention

8 Tips to Protect Your Identity

According to a recent study by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity fraud reached $16.9 billion in 2019. As identity fraud continues to be a major..

Security and Fraud Prevention

Fraud Alert: Scammers Are Identifying Themselves as Bank Employees

Criminals often take advantage of uncertain times, leading to an increase in fraudulent activity. Please remember, we will never call you to ask you..

Margo Leiter, CISM, Information Security Officer

Margo Leiter is a resident DeSoto County, where she began her banking career in 1981 at Crews Bank & Trust, formerly First State Bank of Arcadia. In 2008, she took on the role of Information Security Officer for Crews Bank & Trust.

DON’T CLICK THE LINK! How to Prevent Falling Victim to Phone Scammers

According to Consumer Affairs, in 2023, there were over 310 million smartphone users in the US. Text message open rates are estimated to be as high as 98% compared to only a 20% open rate for emails, so it’s no wonder cyber criminals are focusing on texts! If you own a smart phone, you’ve likely been the recipient of a smishing text. Would you be able to tell?

Security and Fraud Prevention

04/17/24

Stay Sharp: Tips to Avoid Being Scammed

In an act of desperation, Terry* frantically picked up the phone and called his Personal Banker at Crews Bank & Trust. Minutes before, when he logged into his online account, he saw several unauthorized transactions from an unknown source. Terry was panicked. What should he do?

12/16/22

Top 10 Things to Do if Your Account Is Compromised

We’ve all heard nightmare stories about someone who has become the victim of credit fraud; however, what have you done to protect your financial well-being? Phishing links in texts or emails, compromised passwords or pins, and stolen credit card information are all ways fraudsters can hack your accounts, so it’s important to stay vigilant when it comes to your credit. Learn steps to ensure you’re protected from identity or credit theft.

Security and Fraud Prevention, Online Banking

12/15/21

6 Cybersecurity Business Ideas to Protect Against Email Compromise

Companies of all sizes are being targeted by criminals through business email compromise scams. In these scams, cybercriminals gain access to an employee’s legitimate business email through social engineering or computer intrusion. The criminal then impersonates the employee often a senior executive or someone who can authorize payments and instructs others to transfer funds on their behalf. According to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center, over $10 billion has been lost by victims in the U.S. due to these scams.

Security and Fraud Prevention

11/26/21

Want to Save $1,170? Hang Up.

During the pandemic, my phone was ringing off the hook, as many fraudsters took advantage of our isolation. They knew we were lonely, stuck at home with only a few ways to communicate with others, so why not take advantage of that good ole’ telephone when everyone is afraid of hackers on the internet?

In fact, the FTC (Federal Trade Commission) received about 1.25 million phone fraud complaints in 2020, and the hackers and scammers don’t seem to be showing down this year.

Business, Security and Fraud Prevention, Online Banking, Savings

11/2/21

Avoid Corporate Account Takeover

Cybercriminals are targeting small businesses with increasingly sophisticated attacks. “Corporate account takeover” is a form of identity theft of a business. Criminals phony emails pretending to be someone you know to trick you into clicking on links or attachments that can lead to malicious software being installed on your computer. Once this happens, they will ask you to enter credentials where they will gain access to your email account. At that point, they will send emails to the bank appearing to be from you to initiate ACH and wire transactions.

Business, Security and Fraud Prevention

06/14/21

Business Owners Need Ransomware Protection

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that locks up your files so that you no longer can access them and demands you pay a ransom to unlock the files. Paying in Bitcoin or cyber currency gives the cybercriminal anonymity and cannot be traced.

Security and Fraud Prevention

06/4/21

COVID-19 Brings Out the Scammers

To paraphrase a famous expression: When the going gets tough, the scammers get going. Scammers are even identifying themselves as bank employees to steal information and cash.With COVID-19, the fraudsters are out in force, seeking to take advantage of the widespread anxiety generated by the global pandemic.

Security and Fraud Prevention

03/22/21

IRS Lists Dirty Dozen Tax Scams

It’s the time of year when the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) releases its list of the latest tax scams. Scammers routinely use the anxiety of tax season to prey on the unsuspecting, and this year, they’re also using the pandemic and the government’s Economic Impact Payments to steal money and identities from taxpayers.

Security and Fraud Prevention

03/12/21

“Funny Money” No Laughing Matter

iTestCash is a company dedicated to helping big and small businesses throughout the U.S. and abroad. Its CEO, Alex Reichmann, comes from a family that has spent their lives focused on the protection of people’s money. His grandfather’s company invented the counterfeit detector pen that many banks and retail businesses use to identify counterfeit bills.

Security and Fraud Prevention

12/16/20

Stop Ransomware Before It Stops You!

Ransomware is a type of malicious software that encrypts files, preventing access until a demanded sum of money is paid in exchange to unlock files. Individuals and businesses have become targets in this growing online fraud.

Security and Fraud Prevention

11/9/20

8 Ways to Avoid Online Fraud

Cyberattacks are becoming more and more sophisticated and common. According to the 2019 Norton Cyber Security Insights Report, 152 million U.S. consumers were victims of cybercrime – more than half of the country’s adult online population – with losses totaling nearly $11.3 billion. Crews Bank & Trust is highlighting ways to help consumers protect themselves against online fraud.

Security and Fraud Prevention

10/26/20

A Dozen Ways to Protect Your Mobile Device from Hackers

As of January 2020, there were approximately 246.3 million mobile internet users in the United States, accounting for 87 percent of the population, according Statista, a provider of market and consumer data. Review 42 reports that the average user will tap, swipe, and click their phone 2,617 times a day and spend 171 minutes a day on a device.

Security and Fraud Prevention

10/20/20

8 Tips to Protect Your Identity

According to a recent study by Javelin Strategy & Research, identity fraud reached $16.9 billion in 2019. As identity fraud continues to be a major threat, Crews Bank & Trust is offering tips to help consumers proactively protect their information from identity thieves.

Security and Fraud Prevention

04/10/20

Fraud Alert: Scammers Are Identifying Themselves as Bank Employees

Criminals often take advantage of uncertain times, leading to an increase in fraudulent activity. Please remember, we will never call you to ask you to provide or verify your full account number, username, password, debit card number, unique PIN or Social Security number.

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Margo Leiter, CISM, Information Security Officer

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