Katahdin Trust joins ABA’s “Banks Never Ask That” campaign


HOULTON – Katahdin Trust, a community bank serving northern Maine and the greater Bangor and Portland areas, has joined the American Bankers Association and banks across the country to promote an industry-wide campaign educating consumers on the persistent threat of phishing scams. The FTC estimates that consumers lost $ 3.3 billion to phishing schemes and other frauds in 2020, nearly double the losses in 2019. To fight phishing, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign uses humor eye-catching and other engaging content to allow consumers to identify bogus banking communications asking for sensitive information like their passwords and social security numbers.

“It’s critical that customers filter the amount of personal information they choose to reveal over the phone, email or online,” says Andrew Putnam, vice president, chief information officer at Katahdin Trust. “Never give out your social security number, date of birth, account number, or password unless you’ve started a conversation with someone you know is legitimate.”

“Phishing attempts have become even more frequent during the pandemic, so it is more important than ever that consumers learn to spot a scam,” said Paul Benda, senior vice president, operational risk and cybersecurity at ABA. “With the help of participating banks like Katahdin Trust, we’re teaching consumers how to spot phishing red flags so they can stay one step ahead of scammers. “

Katahdin Trust, along with banks across the country and ABA, launched the campaign on October 1 to mark the start of National Cyber ​​Security Awareness Month. Throughout the month, Katahdin Trust will share short, catchy and engaging videos, animated GIFs, and social media consumer tips designed to highlight common phishing patterns. Katahdin Trust will also send a reminder in the October statement from customers with a printed flyer. Because cybersecurity education and fraud awareness can often be boring and forgettable for many consumers, the campaign is designed to be bright and daring with a bit of comedy.

“Chicago Deep Dish or New York Style?” one of the campaign’s animated GIFs is asking social media users. “#BanksNeverAskThat. They will also not open an email with “Hello client”. It is a scam. Think you can spot a scam when you see it? Prove it with this new phishing quiz from the American Bankers Association.

The short campaign videos offer equally ridiculous questions banks would never ask and direct consumers to BanksNeverAskThat.com for more information. On this website, consumers will find the #BanksNeverAskThat quiz, videos, phishing red flags, tips and FAQs.

For more information on phishing scams and how to stop scammers, visit www.BanksNeverAskThat.com. Founded in 1918, Katahdin Trust is a Houlton, Maine-based community bank with over $ 947 million in assets that provides financial services to individuals. and 16 branch businesses in northern Maine and the greater Bangor and Portland areas with a suite of digital banking solutions. The bank has nearly 180 employees and in 2021 was named one of the best places to work in Maine for the fourth year in a row and has been recognized for the past two years as one of the top 200 community banks in the country. by American Banker magazine. . Katahdin Bankshares Corp., parent company of Katahdin Trust Company, the common shares are listed on the over-the-counter (OTCQX) markets under the symbol KTHN. Learn more about the Bank at www.katahdintrust.com and follow Katahdin Trust on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and Instagram.