Fortify Your Defenses!
Physical security — protecting people, property, and information from threats such as theft, natural disasters, and unauthorized access — is no longer just about locks and cameras. It's about safeguarding operations, ensuring employee safety, and reinforcing your institution's overall risk posture. As digital threats evolve, we have become more vigilant about online risks like phishing, malware, and data theft. But physical security is just as critical. Even with strict cybersecurity protocols in place, a single unlocked door or outdated device can give a bad actor direct access to sensitive data. Strong policies and regular assessments designed to prevent theft play a critical role in mitigating losses. The ABA recently shared an article highlighting the importance of physical security and securing assets.

Crime prevention is defined as "the anticipation, recognition, and appraisal of a crime risk and the initiation of some action to remove or reduce the risk." From CPTED to smart surveillance, learn more about how banks are leveraging predictive design and intelligent tech to deter crime and fortify their defenses in our recent Smarter Defenses: Bank Security in an Evolving Threat Landscape article.

• Financial Fraud: 60% of financial institutions reported a rise in fraud attempts targeting both consumer and business accounts. [Alloy]
• Top Fraud Types: The biggest scam losses in 2024 were by bank transfer or payment ($2B) followed by cryptocurrency at $1.4B. [FTC]
• Digital Deception: Deepfake fraud cases with financial losses exceeded $200 million in Q1 2025 alone. [World Economic Forum]
• Phishing: The Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) received 300,487 phishing reports in 2024. The Anti-Phishing Working Group (APWG) recorded 1,003,924 phishing attacks in Q1 2025. [APWG]
• Ransomware: Phishing is the leading cause of ransomware attacks. 82.6% of all phishing emails used some form of AI to bypass security measures. [knowBe4].

Security Officer Designation and Training
"To fill the role of security officer, our bank may at times arbitrarily appoint an employee from a branch location as the branch security officer. This employee could be a teller, a new accounts rep, or a loan officer who has not received any type of security officer training. I am concerned that the bank is putting employees into a position that they don’t really want to be in and are ill-equipped to handle. I was recently hired as the Senior Security Officer for the entire bank and would like to recommend that the bank discontinue this practice. Is this a normal practice at other banks and, if so, what type of training do you suggest we provide these “newly elected” security officers? ?"

Answer: We certainly understand your concern with putting employees into a security role without proper training. While we can't speak for what "most banks" do, it’s not uncommon for bank employees to wear different hats within the bank — especially in today's environment of increasing bank mergers and budget restraints. With that being said, anyone who is placed in a security officer role should be armed with proper training.

Read the complete answer in this Security Officer Designation and Training Q&A.

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MASKED MINOR: CAPTURED
Too early for mischief and mayhem
A teenager in Dudley, MA, donned a full face mask and set out for some mischief and mayhem ahead of the season's traditional "Mischief Night" festivities. Dudley Police Department responded to a robbery at Webster First Federal Credit Union on Thursday, October 2nd at 3:37 p.m. The 'man' demanded money from three tellers who got a good look at him as they handed over cash. When LEOs responded to the robbery, the suspect was gone but bank staff were able to provide a description of the suspect, who was wearing a latex mask to look like an elderly man, and a description of his car. The police tracked down the 17-year-old suspect a short time later and found the stolen money, the mask, clothing, and additional evidence linking him to the heist. The masked minor, whose name was not released due to his age, faces one count of unarmed robbery and three counts of assault.

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