First Take - Blog
Scammers are unsympathetic, ruthless, savvy, and criminal. There is also another adjective that can describe these bad actors that are looking to take your hard-earned money: opportunistic.
Let’s define opportunistic:
“Exploiting chances offered by immediate circumstances without reference to a general plan or moral principal.” (Source: Oxford Languages)
What a fitting description of a scam artist. It’s important to be alert, aware, and informed of current and existing fraud schemes. There are always your typical fraud types like phishing or romance, but scammers can use current events and situations to trick unsuspecting and concerned consumers.
A good example of an opportunistic scammer taking advantage of a current event would be the collapse of two financial institutions that made headlines and sent shockwaves across the banking industry. The banking industry is solid. First National Bank is solid. It is business as usual in community banks across the country. Nonetheless, there is some fear in the minds of the consumer about the stability of America’s financial system. This could open the door to potential opportunistic scammers.
A person who is concerned about the safety and security of their money and investments could ironically be more vulnerable than someone who is not looking hard at their current cash-on-hand situation.
Cybersecurity experts have warned businesses to look out for malicious activity that exploits the current banking environment according to an article by Arkansas Business. Among the activity of concern are:
- Security firm Proofpoint has spotted a phishing campaign that impersonates crypto companies.
- Artic Wolf has seen an uptick in newly registered domains related to Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) since federal regulators took over the bank.
- Other pros are working under the assumption that threat actors will turn this situation into fuel for cyber-attacks.
Essentially, this information shows that scammers are gearing up with registered domains and other tools that could be used to scam consumers. As a bank, we must be on the lookout for these types of risks. As a consumer, you must be vigilant, and not make decisions out of panic, fear, or intimidation.
Customers should ask questions and report any concerns or suspicious activity to their financial institution. In the meantime, First National Bank will be standing guard and staying sharp against threats of scammers taking the opportunity to capitalize on an isolated banking issue that could open consumers up to falling victim to a scam.
If you have concerns about fraudulent or suspicious activity, you can contact First National Bank by calling us at (870) 215-4000 or emailing us at marketing@fnbank.net.