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March 29, 2023

Cloning Scams: The Dark Side of Artificial Intelligence

Posted in Business Banking, Community News, Consumer Banking

Virginia National Bank (VNB) cares about the welfare of our clients, which is why we say, “It’s all about people...and always will be.” While technology continues to progress in remarkable ways, we must remember to stay vigilant. Criminals often use advanced technology for scams. The Federal Trade Commission is warning consumers about fraudsters using artificial intelligence (AI) to clone voices of friends, family, and loved ones. Cloning voices is easily accomplished using videos from social media and it does not require much more than a tiny snippet. Criminals are also able to spoof phone numbers. If you receive a call from a friend or loved one telling you to send them money, think twice before sending. When in doubt, it is advisable to hang up and call them back directly.

The more you know, the safer you’ll be:

While digital payment applications are an effective and quick way to send funds, you should only use digital payment applications to send funds to people you know and can verify their identity.
VNB will never ask you to send payments anywhere.
If you are asked to purchase gift cards or wire money, STOP. Ask yourself, “why do they need gift cards” or “is this person really who they say they are.”
If a deal is too good to be true, it may be fraud. Do your due diligence before purchasing or sending a digital payment. Always know who you are buying from or selling to.
VNB will never ask you for your Personal Identification Number (PIN) or security codes.

If you are concerned with potential fraud, please reach out to our Client Care Center at 877.817.8621 or contact us here.

We want to ensure the utmost of security for our clients by reminding them that criminals use advanced technology including AI. Be safe. Be vigilant.

2023 Finance Career and Leadership Academy Students

Posted in Community News

Virginia National Bank (VNB) is excited to announce the students who have been accepted into VNB’s 2023 Finance Career and Leadership Academy (FCLA, Academy). In total we have fourteen students who have earned positions in the Academy – nine in Charlottesville and five in Warrenton.

“We were extremely impressed by the number of talented and qualified young people who applied for entry into our program,” said Glenn Rust, President and CEO of Virginia National Bankshares Corporation (VABK) and CEO of VNB. “Congratulations to this year’s winners, who each show a strong commitment to furthering their financial education and improving their lives and their communities. We are proud to have them as participants in this year’s FCLA and to support their educational and professional journey.”

The students accepted into the Charlottesville Academy include:

Alexis Alms – Albemarle High School
Kamryn Buckwalter – Albemarle High School
Alani Green – Charlottesville High School
Jazz Harris – Charlottesville High School & CATEC
Arjun Marwah – The Covenant School
Bethany Miles – Homeschool
Tia Scott – Charlottesville High School
Oren Tieyah – Albemarle High School
Summer Weakley – William Monroe High School, Ruckersville

The students accepted into the Warrenton Academy include:

Gabby Downey – Liberty High School, Bealeton
Jack Flemming – Eastern View High School, Culpeper
Aryan Joshi – Battlefield High School, Haymarket
Asaph King – Homeschool
Jake Miller – Fauquier High School

The participants were chosen based on their academic achievement, extra-curricular activities, community service, and overall character. Applicants also wrote an essay about what they hoped to accomplish with a stronger and deeper financial education and went through an interview process.

The Finance Career & Leadership Academy is a free instructional program designed to not only provide advanced personal finance and employment readiness training, but also a path to career opportunities in banking for high school juniors and seniors within our communities. The most promising and top performing students from the Academy are considered for VNB’s College Program (the Business/Staff Development Program).

The College Program is a bank-sponsored, comprehensive, free training program that consists of 15 courses of which 13 are accredited college/university courses (38 credit hours that are transferable to a 2 or 4-year college/university) and work projects. Participants receive fulltime pay with full fringe benefits (includes 401k with company match) while completing the program and, if successful in the program, have the potential opportunity for a career with VNB. Also, once employed, should they choose, they may go on to complete a 2 or 4-year degree at the company’s expense.

“Helping local students develop their financial skills on both a professional and personal level while also giving them a career path without the high levels of student debt is our goal,” said Rust. “Our educational programs are a means by which we give back to our community and we look forward to continuing these programs for years to come.”

FCLA Quote

VNB would also like to personally thank all those who helped us reach so many qualified, talented, and hard-working young people in our community. Including, but not exclusively or in any particular order, –

Charlottesville

Albemarle County Public Schools, particularly

Kate Acuff, Albemarle County School Board – Jack Jouett District
Esmerelda Amos, Career Specialist, AHS
Caroline Bertrand, Career Specialist, WAHS

Charlottesville Public Schools, particularly

James Daly, Economics and Personal Finance Teacher, CHS
Deborah Tewksbury, Personal Finance Teacher, CHS
Yumeca Webb-Jordan, Personal Finance Teacher, CHS
Megan Fitzgerald, Career & Technical Education Department Chair

Joshua Rashad Epps, UVA – Division for DEI – Program Manager of MOCHA/WOCHA
Stuart Hornsby, Owner of Lux Ventures and Campaign Manager, The Center for Christian Study at UVA
James Pierce, Owner of PSA, and former CEO of Boys & Girls Club of Central Virginia
Connie Sylvester, Equis Financial and ACTS Board Director
Venita Richmond, President, Albemarle Christian Teaching Support (ACTS)
Jackie Jamison, Development Director and College Counselor, Regents School
Julia Hixson, Director of College Advising, The Covenant School
Carl E. Brown, President, C.E. Brown & Associates
Wanda Sloper, REACH Homeschool Group, VA