Faith-Based Daily Awareness Post 01 March 2024

These updates are shared to help raise the situational awareness of Faith-Based organizations to best defend against and mitigate the impacts from all-hazards threats including physical security, cybersecurity, and natural disasters.

Social Security Administration’s National Slam the Scam Day

“National “Slam the Scam” Day is designated by Social Security’s Office of the Inspector General to raise awareness of government imposter scams, which continue to spread across the United States. Slam the Scam Day is Thursday, March 7, 2024, as part of National Consumer Protection Week, which takes place this year from March 3-9.”

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“On National Slam the Scam Day and throughout the year, we give you the tools to recognize Social Security-related scams and stop scammers from stealing your money and personal information. 

Help protect your loved ones and people in your community this Slam the Scam Day by: 

• Educating them about government imposter scams. Let them know they shouldn’t be embarrassed to report if they shared personal information or suffered a financial loss. It is important to report the scam as quickly as possible. 

• Sharing our Scam Alert fact sheet and helping educate others about how to protect themselves.”

The Slam the Scam site also provides Social Media Toolkits.

SSA’s Protect Yourself from Social Security Scams website provides information on:

• Four Basic Signs of a Scam
• Known Tactics Scammers Use
• How to Avoid a Scam
• How to Report
• What to Do if You Were Scammed

Additional Resources:

Scam Alert – Fake Letter from SSA

Emerging Threat: Artificial Intelligence 2-pager from U.S. Senate Special Committee on Aging

Office of the Inspector General: SSA Scam Reporting Form, Social Security

What To Do if You Were Scammed | Consumer Advice Federal Trade Commission

Analyst Comments:

The resources are good ones to pass to the community, especially to vulnerable populations like older Americans.

School Security Recommendations

The following articles provide recommendations for protecting schools.

3 Overlooked Elements of an Effective School Crisis Plan

Campus Safety reports on the following three often-overlooked elements of a school crisis plan:

• Account for Social Media
• Choose School-Optimized Security Tech Solutions
• Practice Effective Communication Processes

4 Strategic Steps to Move School Security Forward

ASIS’s Security Management recommends the following four steps to improve school security:

• Put People First
• Assess and Adjust
• Keep Pace with Progress
• Plan and Revisit

Navigating the Challenges of K-12 Safety with Technology and Design

ASIS’s Security Management also provides a detailed discussion on security design for schools. They posit that security design should be based on the “Four Ds” of:

• Deter
• Detect
• Delay
• Deny

Analyst Comments:

Many Faith-Based Organizations (FBO) have school facilities. The Covenant School shooting in 2023 shows that FBO schools are not immune to attacks. The Covenant Schools continues to be the victim of bad actors. On 26 February, Fox 17 News reported FBI investigating emailed bomb threat to Covenant School staffer. On 29 February ABC 13 News reported ‘Shoot up the school:’ phone threat prompts lockdown at Hyland Heights Church Preschool.

The school security articles provide information on protecting faith-based schools. The information can also be useful for houses of worship and other FBO facilities.