Fraud education does not have to live in the background—buried in generic emails, statement inserts, or website fine print. For banks looking to make the message stick, the branch can still do something digital channels often cannot: create a focused, personal moment.
That was a clear theme in ProSight’s recent look at how branch leaders can use their physical footprint more strategically in the fraud fight. The premise is simple: branches already have the audience, the staff, and the community presence. The challenge is using those advantages with more intention. Here are some key takeaways:
Customers are already worried, which makes the timing right. For many, fraud awareness is not the problem. According to ProSight’s Banking Outlook: 2026 Trends survey, 60% of Gen Z customers said they are at least “somewhat” to “very” worried about fraud, as did 60% of Gen X, 55% of millennials, and 58% of boomers on up. That means banks are speaking to an audience that is already paying attention.
The message needs to be sticky, not just visible. Jason Bartolacci, director of the ProSight Fraud Alert Network, said banks should think about fraud education the way they think about marketing—coordinated across email, apps, social media, websites, branch signage, and teller conversations. He also pointed to account opening as a natural place to build in education. “Any kind of fraud education campaign can work like a marketing campaign. You want to make sure that it’s sticky,” Bartolacci said.
Retention is part of the fraud conversation, too. Ray Olsen, senior director of enterprise fraud management at Wintrust, said that based on multiple reports he combined for “a snapshot of banking behavior,” roughly two to three out of every 10 customers had switched providers after being impacted by a single fraud event. The stakes may be even higher with business clients: the article also cited an Abrigo survey showing that some 30% of small businesses will leave after one fraud exposure.
The frontline needs concrete, memorable training. Matt Meis, cyber fraud manager at Summit Credit Union, said his organization has increased training and retraining for frontline employees, including branch staff. One practical step is exposing employees to fake IDs and bad checks so suspicious materials “are brought into the real world,” not abstract, he said.
Simple reminders still matter. Olsen highlighted how small the step can be: “We’re talking about an action as simple as a teller taking an extra moment to remind the customer about the risk of scams or emphasizing that the bank will never call or text and ask for an account number—a step that is quick and easy.”
That may be the real opportunity here. Branches do not need to become anti-fraud boot camps. But they can become more intentional learning hubs—and in a fraud environment that keeps changing, that may be one of the most practical uses of the branch there is.
