Protecting personal and business information starts with awareness. Queensborough National Bank & Trust brought that message to local business owners and community members through our free “Spot It. Stop It. Protect Yourself.” fraud prevention seminar, held on October 29 at local branches.

Held in recognition of October’s Cybersecurity Awareness Month, the seminar was hosted by Angela Morales, Queensborough’s Bank Secrecy Act Officer. The seminar focused on educating attendees about current fraud trends and prevention strategies, with information relevant to both individuals and local businesses.

Recognizing the Signs and Knowing What to Do

The 45-minute presentation covered common fraud schemes, warning signs, and safer financial habits. Morales also discussed practical steps to take when a scammer makes contact or when personal or business information may be at risk.

Common scams covered include:

• Phone and impersonation scams: Someone pretends to be from the IRS, Social Security, Medicare, a bank, or law enforcement.
• Grandparent scams: Someone claims a grandchild or loved one is in trouble and urgently needs money.
• Romance scams: A person builds an online relationship and eventually asks for money.
• Prize and lottery scams: You are told you won a prize but must pay fees or taxes first.
• Tech support scams: Someone claims your computer has a problem and asks for money or access to your device.
• Family or caregiver exploitation: Someone takes money without permission, misuses a bank card, or pressures you to change legal or financial documents.
• Investment scams: Someone promises unusually high or guaranteed returns to get you to hand over money.

The biggest way to protect yourself is to be aware. Be cautious if someone:

• Pressures you to act immediately.
• Tells you to keep a financial transaction secret.
• Asks for your PIN, password, verification code, or banking information.
• Requests payment using gift cards, cryptocurrency, wire transfers, or unusual payment methods.
• Asks you to sign documents you do not understand.
• Suddenly becomes overly interested in your money or property.
• Uses fear, threats, guilt, or affection to influence your financial decisions.
• Makes unexplained withdrawals or changes to your accounts.

A 15-minute question-and-answer session followed the presentation, giving attendees an opportunity to ask questions about the topics covered.

A Community Approach to Fraud Awareness

Fighting fraud is important to Queensborough. Through free community events like “Spot It. Stop It. Protect Yourself.” and our free community shred events, we are helping make fraud prevention education accessible to the individuals and business owners in the communities we serve.

Cybersecurity Awareness Month offers a reminder of why that education matters. The seminars centered on a straightforward message: recognize the warning signs, build safer financial habits, and know what steps to take if your information may be at risk.

If you are involved with a community group and would like to have a Queensborough representative come speak about fraud prevention, please reach out to angela.morales@qnbtrust.bank.

For more information about ways you can protect yourself from fraud, visit our Fraud & Security Hub webpage or visit one of our branches today.