Protect Your Business From Check Fraud
Whether you are a small business or serve thousands of customers a day, taking steps to fight check fraud is vital to keeping your organization safe. The Treasurer’s Guide to AR Payment Optimization estimates that 40% of all business-to-business (B2B) payments in the United States are made via check. As long as payments continue to […]
Consumer Check Fraud Safety
Over the past few years, check fraud has been on the rise, with an uptick in cases more recently. According to the Iowa Bankers Exchange, Suspicious Activity Reports for check fraud increased by 201.2% from 2018 to 2022. Nasdaq’s 2024 Global Financial Crime Report revealed that in 2023 alone, check fraud led to $21 billion […]
Loving Your Aging Family Member Well
Aging is a part of life, but it can be hard to watch your loved ones get older. One way you can walk alongside them is by watching for signs of elderly financial abuse. Elderly financial abuse is a crime that deprives older adults of their resources and independence by taking advantage of their finances […]
Spooky Scams and the Ghouls that Run Them
This October is the 20th annual Cybersecurity Awareness Month. As cyberattacks become more common, the first step in keeping yourself safe is remaining vigilant and staying up-to-date on current cybersecurity trends. Being informed on how scammers have been accessing information and infiltrating networks gives you the edge in identifying them. Here are a few scams […]
AI in Cybercrime
Artificial intelligence (AI) has become a growing topic of conversation. Because of its potential for efficiency in automating processes and informing decisions with a vast array of data, a wide range of industries have started to incorporate AI into their business models. Whenever a new technology is introduced, though, there is the potential for cybercriminals […]
The Basics of Elderly Financial Exploitation
What is Elderly Financial Exploitation? According to the American Bankers Association, people over the age of 50 control over 70% of the nation’s wealth. Unfortunately, in recent years, scammers have targeted the older population—specifically those aged 60 and above—through various types of fraudulent tactics, also known as elderly financial exploitation. These criminals use tactics such […]
What Do I Need to Shred Anyways
What do i need to shred anyways? Free Shred Day will take place May 20, 2023 from 8 AM – 11 AM at our headquarters – 1601 22nd St. West Des Moines, IA 50266 Better to be safe than sorry is the way to go when it comes to shredding important papers. Wondering what papers are important to bring […]
Tips To Help You Protect Against Data Breaches
There are many ways cybercriminals attack. It is important that a business has procedures in place to help prevent their data from being compromised. There are numerous security programs and different filters that you may implement to catch and report incidents. However, these costly breaches can also be prevented by practicing awareness and preparing to […]
Password Protection: Do’s and Don’ts
In the past few years, the world has become extremely technology focused. In other words, if you are not careful with all of your devices, you may get hacked. By using a strong password, you can protect yourself and your information. October is National Cybersecurity Awareness Month and West Bank wants to share some tips […]
How can I avoid a phishing attack?
How can I avoid a phishing attack? Have you ever received an email from a random name that you didn’t recognize? Do you ever get phone calls from an unknown number who tells you they need to verify information? If this happens to you, you are not alone. Fraudulent messages are happening all around us, […]