Fraud

As the year barrels toward its end, we listened to our bankers and heard the need for a tool for robbery training. All banks have their own policies, as they should, and those are usually always clearly communicated to staff. To enhance your training, we have recorded a half-hour Zoom training that includes the basics and best practices on which …

It’s hardly shocking increased use and recognition of cryptocurrency creates new opportunities and challenges for banks. What might surprise you, though, is exactly how the emergence of virtual currency is leaving financial institutions more vulnerable to an all-too-common problem: ransomware. According to the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, the total U.S.-dollar value of ransomware-related transactions reported during the first half of 2021 …

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency recently released a Joint Cybersecurity Advisory, urging businesses to defend themselves from ransomware threats during the holidays and weekends when most businesses are closed. Ransomware attacks and wire fraud with a high impact are most likely to occur just before holidays and weekends. Bankers should encourage their coworkers …

Our federal law enforcement partners have been working overtime to try to help banks stay ahead of the challenges encountered with both cyber-criminals and bad actors that impact bank ATMs in multiple ways. Law enforcement partners and our statewide MAFIA groups have shared multiple resources and tools, which we are including in this Fraud Alert. Let’s get started! •         • …

Oklahoma banks are still working hard to detect fraud in EIDL SBA loans, and to get those funds returned to our government. John Bernardo, with the FBI, reached out to his contacts and was able to get us contact with Roger Pak, a special agent with the SBA. Both have provided questions that will be helpful in making a fraud …

All of our Oklahoma banks have been doing a great job of detecting and returning ACH funds received on COVID-19-related unemployment scams. This has not abated, but just hits different states in waves. Arizona, Nevada and Illinois have been among the many states hit the hardest right now. OBA has sent out keyword lists to help watch for these items …

This alert has two distinct and separate topics. Please read both and understand the first is an invitation for training on Thursday, and requires you sign up beforehand. Typically, you have to be an Infragard member to attend these meetings, but FBI has extended an offer to our bankers to attend this one without being a member. If afterward you …

We have received the following information on surging unemployment scams from the Secret Service. The OBA is attempting to build a list of banks that have returned these and it may simply be all our banks. If you have been dealing with this and you have not already notified us, we are asking that you send an email titled “UI …

Unemployment fraud is surging in many forms, as reported by bankers statewide. It is critical each bank know of and respond to each version as it hits. Toward that end, OBA will try to keep you apprised as we learn of new issues as each is time sensitive. The first such scenario defines an issue facing the State of Washington, …

In the last two days, we have had 11 Oklahoma bank ATMs experience significant losses due to heightened ATM skimming activities. The cards utilized were not bank customer cards, but cards drawn on another bank. The targeted ATMs were not all chip compliant, which could impact insurance coverage. On a previous similar claim, there was no coverage when a bank …