ABA, America’s Banks Relaunch #BanksNeverAskThat Campaign with New ‘Scam Slayer’ Initiative, Resources on AI-Powered Scams

The American Bankers Association today relaunched its award-winning #BanksNeverAskThat campaign with a new “Scam Slayer” initiative as banks nationwide join forces to help consumers and small businesses recognize and avoid scams. The association is also relaunching its #PracticeSafeChecks campaign, which provides practical guidance to help consumers and small businesses protect against check fraud.

More than 2,500 banks have participated in #BanksNeverAskThat and #PracticeSafeChecks since the campaigns launched, making them among the banking industry’s largest coordinated consumer education efforts.

This year, #BanksNeverAskThat aims to empower bankers and consumers to become “Scam Slayers” by learning common scam red flags and taking action to protect themselves or others. As part of the campaign, BanksNeverAskThat.com will feature real-life “Scam Slayer” profiles and share powerful stories of people who recognized and helped stop scams before victims suffered potentially devastating financial losses.

“Today’s scams are sophisticated, highly targeted and increasingly difficult to detect, particularly as criminals use artificial intelligence and deepfakes to impersonate trusted people and organizations,” said Rob Nichols, ABA president and CEO. “Education and vigilance are more important than ever. Through #BanksNeverAskThat, America’s banks are helping consumers recognize suspicious activity, take action and become ‘Scam Slayers’ by protecting themselves and others from financial harm.”

Increased Focus on Artificial Intelligence
The 2026-2027 campaign places an increased focus on artificial intelligence and deepfakes, which criminals can use to create convincing messages, images, videos and voice recordings that appear to come from a bank, government agency, business, friend or family member. These technologies can make impersonation scams more difficult to detect and allow criminals to target more people at greater scale.

Even as the technology changes, many of the underlying red flags remain the same:

• Unexpected contact;
• Demands for immediate action;
• Requests for secrecy;
• Pressure to move money; and
• Attempts to obtain account numbers, passwords, PINs or other sensitive information.
  

Consumers who receive a suspicious request should stop and verify it independently by contacting the person, business or bank through a phone number or channel they know and trust.

“Artificial intelligence makes it easier for criminals to create convincing impersonations and target more people, but it does not change their ultimate goal: getting consumers to surrender sensitive information or send money,” said Paul Benda, ABA executive vice president for risk, fraud and cybersecurity. “A familiar voice or realistic video is no longer enough to prove that a request is legitimate. Taking a moment to pause and verify through a trusted channel can stop a sophisticated scam before any money is lost.”

At BanksNeverAskThat.com, consumers can learn about common scam red flags, test their ability to recognize suspicious communications and find practical guidance on how to respond. Through humorous videos, quizzes, social media content and real-life “Scam Slayer” stories, the campaign aims to give consumers the knowledge and confidence to act when something does not seem right.

The #PracticeSafeChecks campaign also returns this year to educate consumers and small businesses about check fraud and encourage safer check-use practices. The campaign offers practical guidance and ready-to-use resources that banks can share with their customers.

In recognition of Cybersecurity Awareness Month, ABA and participating banks will kick off the yearlong campaigns on Oct. 1 with coordinated educational events, social media engagement, branch outreach and community partnerships. Banks registered for the campaigns receive access to a free toolkit featuring new videos, customizable social media content, print materials, branch and ATM signage and other resources available in both English and Spanish.

To learn how to become a “Scam Slayer” or access consumer resources, visit BanksNeverAskThat.com. For information about safer check practices, visit PracticeSafeChecks.com.