SouthWest Bank hosts fraud awareness event with FBI, cybersecurity experts
SouthWest Bank hosts fraud awareness event with FBI, cybersecurity experts
Publish Date: 2026-03-26 18:30:00
Source Domain: www.firstalert7.com
Using an unordered list, summarize the following article with between 4 and 8 key points. ODESSA, Texas (KOSA) – SouthWest Bank hosted a fraud awareness event Thursday at the Odessa Country Club, bringing together cybersecurity experts and the FBI to help protect Permian Basin residents and businesses from the latest threats.The digital world today is complex, with risks everywhere you turn. Experts from CoNetrix, a a say it’s important to simplify the necessary steps so the community is protected.“There’s simple things that you can do to protect yourself against risks or attacks on, you know, social engineering attacks and stuff like that,” said Savannah Richardson, GRC content analyst at CoNetrix. “So yes, it is very important to simplify that language and make sure that people understand how important it is to protect themselves from cybersecurity attacks.”The most common point of attack is email. Phishing scams allow scammers to impersonate businesses you know, including your bank.“Don’t click, if you’re not expecting an email, don’t click,” said Chris Cole, president and chief operations officer at SouthWest Bank. “You can always call us at the institution and ask us ‘hey, is this from you?’ or something like that. Just be really diligent and mindful of the things coming your way because the quickest entry point is via email.”And even though you are making it harder for yourself, SouthWest says multi-factor authentication blocks 90 percent of attacks.“I know it’s burdensome,” Cole said. “But one of the most secure methods is, you have your password, you have something come back to you says ‘ok, we have your password, now is this you?’ and then you authenticate.” SouthWest wants to remind you, banks will never call, text, or email asking for passwords or account numbers. Customers should monitor accounts daily and set up text alerts.Copyright 2026 KOSA. All rights reserved.
