The bank that breaks the spell
ABA Fraudcast
Assisting bank customers who are the victims of scams after the fact is difficult enough for banks. But what happens when a scam is not only on-going but may even be literally unknown to the victim? Santander UK decided to create a team trained in rescuing customers involved in such increasingly common financial scams. Paul Benda, ABA’s EVP for risk, fraud and cybersecurity, discusses the history of that bank's Break the Spell team with Chris Ainsley and Michelle Pilsworth from Santander UK. The team is specially trained to do just what its name indicates: interrupt scams in real time to...
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The urgency of scam prevention as a national priority
ABA Fraudcast
Inaction is not an option. That is the thesis of , a new report from the Aspen Institute. Discussing the report’s recommendations and insights on this edition of the ABA Fraudcast is Kate Griffin, director of Aspen’s National Task Force on Fraud and Scam Prevention. “The very first call to action is simply that we say that scam prevention needs to be identified as a national priority for us as a country,” Griffin tells ABA’s Paul Benda. The will be published every three weeks, at the and wherever you listen to and subscribe to your favorite podcasts, such as Apple and Spotify....
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Taking the fraud prevention message directly to lawmakers
ABA Fraudcast
Big problems require big ideas. How about establishing a White House office of fraud and scam prevention? Or closing loopholes so telecoms stop spoof calls and texts? And ensuring social media companies quickly take down impersonation accounts? On this edition of the ABA Fraudcast, we include Paul Benda's opening statement addressing these challenges and others as delivered recently to the House Financial Services Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations, as well as his analysis of the urgency of a coordinated response from lawmakers and law enforcement. Read Paul Benda's and check out...
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Enhancing security with .bank domain registration
ABA Fraudcast
On this episode of the ABA Fraudcast, we dive into how the Internet works — and why it’s so easy for criminals to create fake bank websites. We’ll explore how these sites get taken down and what banks can do to combat this growing threat. Our guest, Craig Schwartz of fTLD Registry Services, breaks down the key differences between traditional .com domains and the more secure .bank domain — a top-level domain created by a consortium led by the American Bankers Association and other partners specifically to reduce fraud. Schwartz explains the rigorous security measures behind .bank,...
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Elder fraud threats and state hold laws
ABA Fraudcast
As elder fraud skyrockets, banks are actively seeking the best strategies to protect their customers, including proper use of “hold” laws to delay transactions in suspected cases of exploitation. In this episode of the ABA Fraudcast, ABA’s Paul Benda addresses these important issues with guests Barb Graziano, VP, internal audit, compliance and BSA officer for First Seacoast Bank in New Hampshire, and Sam Kunjukunju, VP consumer education and community engagement, who discusses ABA’s , which has valuable information for banks.
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How the ABA Foundation helps banks protect their customers
ABA Fraudcast
One of the major efforts from the very busy team at the ABA Foundation these days is helping bankers help older Americans protect themselves from scams. The Foundation's Safe Banking for Seniors program focuses on a number of ways seniors can avoid financial danger. "We provide and materials to help bankers lead personal finance presentations with kids, young adults and seniors in their communities," explains Sam Kunjukunju, ABA's VP for consumer education, in this episode of the ABA Fraudcast. "Unfortunately the criminals are definitely targeting Americans of all ages, and it's very...
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Inside ABA's new platform to help prevent Treasury check fraud
ABA Fraudcast
ABA's to provide members with free access to the Treasury Check Verification System is now live. On a special joint episode of the ABA Banking Journal Podcast and ABA Fraudcast, ABA anti-fraud experts Paul Benda and Hannah Ibberson discuss the platform and how banks can put it to use. Among other topics, Benda and Ibberson discuss: the scale of physical U.S. Treasury checks and why they remained a potential vector for fraud; how and why ABA developed the platform; how ABA member bank employees -- including frontline staff -- can access the portal to verify a payee; and ways this new platform...
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Federal data points to need for united response to fraud
ABA Fraudcast
Recent data on scams and fraud from the Federal Trade Commission and the FBI is, to no surprise, trending in the wrong direction. But there is confusion around such national reporting, and that is part of the problem. "There is no central figure leading this fight," says ABA's Paul Benda, who describes important challenges to addressing scams and fraud on a national scale on this week's edition of the ABA Fraudcast. to help banks prevent, identify, measure and report fraud, and to serve and protect consumers and their financial data.
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Developing a hybrid approach to fighting check fraud
ABA Fraudcast
What does fighting check fraud cost banks? How do banks find success in that struggle? In the latest episode of the ABA Fraudcast, ABA’s Paul Benda continues to explore the challenges of a metastasizing problem for banks, with his guest Sam Drennen, EVP and COO of First American Bank and Trust in Georgia. Drennen discusses ways his bank has learned hard lessons defending against criminals focused on a payment mode that has resisted extermination. The will be published every three weeks on this site, in ABA Daily Newsbytes and wherever you listen to and subscribe to your favorite...
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How mail theft fuels the check-fraud boom
ABA Fraudcast
The big story of check fraud is not only its vast cost to the country and to individual victims, but simply the remarkable rate at which it is increasing. On this episode of the ABA Fraudcast, ABA's Paul Benda discusses with Caitlin Piasecki of the United States Postal Inspection Service the enormous scale and challenge of addressing mail theft, a common venue for criminals to get their hands on paper checks. The will be published every two weeks, on this site, in ABA Daily Newsbytes and wherever you listen to and subscribe to your favorite podcasts.
info_outlineIn the latest episode of the ABA Pandemic Update, Paul Benda focuses on the incredible growth of the omicron variant, what it's doing at home and abroad, how vaccines and other treatments such monoclonal antibodies are holding up, when to use a hard-to-get rapid antigen test, the status of vaccines for 2-5-year-olds and considerations for holiday travel and gatherings.