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What is a Social Engineering Scam?

Desktop screen with bank icon
Want to be safer online? Never respond to emails asking for personal or financial info. There's a good chance it's a scam.

How To Protect Yourself From Social Engineering Scams

No reputable financial institution — including Synovus — will ever call, email, or text you to ask for your personal info. That said, never respond to such requests, regardless of how legitimate they seem. If you're concerned about your account, log in to your account from the company's secure website. Or you can call customer service using the number on a statement or their website. (If an email is fake, the number included in the email is almost certainly fake too.)

Never send your personal info through emails or text. If you need to provide info to a company, go to their secure site and log into your account.

Keep your software updated because the latest versions often include security upgrades. This gives you extra protection in the form of antivirus software, firewalls, and email filters.

Synovus customers can keep an eye on their accounts by signing up for account alerts. You can also learn more about the safety and security protocols that the bank has in place.

 

What To Do If You're A Victim of A Social Engineering Scam

If you believe you're a victim, contact your bank or financial institution immediately to report the scam. The sooner you do this, the less damage thieves can do. You should also change your ID and password on any affected accounts.

It's also wise to keep an eye on your credit reports after an incident. Cybercrime has increased1 during the COVID-19 global pandemic. This has prompted the three major credit reporting agencies, Equifax, TransUnion and Experian, to offer consumers free weekly credit reports.2


Enroll in Credit and Identity Protection Services

As a Synovus Plus, Synovus Inspire, or Synovus Private Wealth customer, you can enroll in complimentary Credit and Identity Protection services. With this service, Synovus will monitor your credit reports and notify you any time any changes are made. Synovus will also scan the web to make sure your personal information hasn't been compromised by checking websites, blogs and peer-to-peer networks. Synovus also offers full-service identity restoration if you become a victim of identity theft.

Want to know more about how you can achieve peace of mind as a Synovus customer? Learn more.

Important disclosure information

This content is general in nature and does not constitute legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment advice. You are encouraged to consult with competent legal, tax, accounting, financial or investment professionals based on your specific circumstances. We do not make any warranties as to accuracy or completeness of this information, do not endorse any third-party companies, products, or services described here, and take no liability for your use of this information.

  1. CISA. (Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency), “Alert(AA20-099A): COVID-19 exploited by malicious cyber actors." Published April 8, 2020, accessed August 15, 2021. Back
  2. AnnualCreditReports.com, "3 steps to your free credit report," accessed July 19, 2021. Back