MidSouth Bank joins forces with National Crime Prevention Council, McGruff the Crime Dog

(Feb. 1, 2015) MidSouth Bank has undertaken a new initiative to “Shine A Light On Fraud.” The bank announced Jan. 30 that it has joined forces with the National Crime Prevention Council (NCPC) and its icon, McGruff the Crime Dog, to help residents throughout its communities and followers on social media protect their private information by avoiding potential scammers.

MidSouth Bank will collaborate with NCPC to bring widespread awareness of scams to its communities. The two entities will work together to issue fraud alerts and offer programs and tips on how to prevent identity theft, primarily through the bank’s #ShineALightOnFraud campaign and various NCPC efforts. The informative campaign will target both children and adults.

“Anyone can be a victim of identity theft,” said Rusty Cloutier, President and CEO of MidSouth Bank. “Credit and debit card fraud cost consumers around the world a staggering $5.5 billion a year, but if we all join forces we can successfully fight this.”

MidSouth Bank customers can immediately get involved in the new initiative by tweeting or posting a crime prevention tip or message or by sharing or retweeting the bank’s #ShineALightOnFraud messages ($1 will be donated to NCPC each time the hashtag is used).

“Most of us do not realize how often our everyday actions can put us at risk for identity theft,” said Ann M. Harkins, NCPC President and CEO.  “We are working hard in partnership with MidSouth Bank to educate consumers about identity theft because prevention is the best tool we have to fight this problem.”

MidSouth Bank will leverage this new relationship as a public service platform to remind its customers to never give out their personal or banking information to anyone who contacts them by phone, email or text message. “We want our customers to know that if they are targeted by a scam, they can stop it from happening by being informed and taking the necessary precautions to protect their personal information,” Cloutier added.

All banking customers should keep in mind that a bank will never call, text, email or request personal information via an automated message or unsolicited phone call. Also, it is recommended that customers monitor their accounts three to four times a week, watching for suspicious transactions. And it is equally important to promptly report any suspicious activity to MidSouth Bank by calling 1-800-213-BANK (2265).

To share your good news and events, email .

Please click here to LIKE our Facebook page, so we can reach more people with good news like this!