Ever gotten an email, text or phone call, supposedly from a financial institution, that sounded a little — or lot — off?

For National Consumer Protection Week, which extends through Saturday, Michigan Attorney General Dana Nessel has joined the Michigan Bankers Association to promote #BanksNeverAskThat, a nationwide campaign educating consumers about such phishing scams.

NCPW, sponsored by the Federal Trade Commission, aims to help people understand their consumer rights and avoid fraud, according to a news release.

“Remember to never reply to any suspicious text, email or phone call, and be sure to report phishers to the FTC, Anti-Phishing Working Group, and my department,” Nessel said.

To spot phishing scams, they advise to just remember “Banks Never Ask That”:

— If an email, text or phone call asks for confidential information, it’s a definite red flag. It’s better to be safe than sorry. End the call, delete the text and trash the email, because banks never ask that!

— You may be asked to verify confidential information if you call your bank but never the other way around. If you receive an incoming call from someone claiming to be your bank, the safest thing you can do is hang up and call your bank’s customer service number on the back of your debit or credit card.

If you receive a suspicious email or text:

— Do not download any attachments in the message. Attachments may contain malware such as viruses, worms or spyware.

— Do not click links that appear in the message. Links in phishing messages direct you to fraudulent websites.

— Do not reply to the sender. Ignore any requests from the sender and do not call any phone numbers provided in the message.

— Report it. Forward suspected phishing emails to the Anti-Phishing Working Group at reportphishing@apwg.org. If you got a phishing text message, forward it to SPAM (7726). Then, report the phishing attack to the FTC at ftc.gov/complaint.

If you receive a suspicious phone call:

— Hang up or end the call. Be aware that area codes can be misleading. If your caller ID displays a local area code, this does not guarantee the caller is local.

— Do not respond to the caller’s requests. Financial institutions and legitimate companies will never call you to request your personal information. Never give personal information to the incoming caller.

“I am proud to stand with the Attorney General’s Office, the American Bankers Association, and banks across Michigan in championing the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign,” said T. Rann Paynter, MBA president and CEO. “With phishing scams on the rise, it’s more important than ever to educate and empower consumers. By working together, we can outsmart scammers, strengthen fraud prevention, and protect the financial security of our communities.”

Because cybersecurity education and fraud awareness can often be dull and forgettable, the #BanksNeverAskThat campaign takes a bright, comedic approach. The campaign’s short videos feature humorous scenarios to remind people they stand to lose real money if they aren’t vigilant. Consumers are directed to BanksNeverAskThat.com, where they can take an interactive quiz, play the new “Scam City” video game, watch engaging videos, and learn how to recognize phishing scams.

The campaign also offers a Spanish-language version of the website, BancosNuncaPidenEso.com, along with a variety of other #BanksNeverAskThat consumer resources in Spanish.

To file a complaint with the Attorney General, or get additional information, contact:

Consumer Protection Team

P.O. Box 30213

Lansing, MI 48909

517-335-7599

Fax: 517-241-3771

Toll free: 877-765-8388

An online complaint form is available at https://www.michigan.gov/consumerprotection/complaints.