In today’s digital age, we are increasingly at risk of cybercrimes. Your church is not immune. The internet is filled with scammers and thieves capable of infiltrating even the most secure systems and technology. Churches possess loads of sensitive information, so it is essential that you protect your ministry and your members. The fallout of data breaches and other cybercrimes can be catastrophic.
Earlier this year, internet scammers stole over $793,000 from a North Carolina church that had been saving to build a new sanctuary. Elkin Valley Baptist Church had outgrown their sanctuary and spent the last seven years raising funds that were taken in seconds. In September 2022, a church representative responded to a cloned email providing fraudulent payment instructions and the money was quickly stolen, putting a halt to construction. You can read more about the Elkin Valley Baptist story here.
Although cyber risk insurance isn’t the first type of insurance that comes to mind, it is one of the most important for your ministry. Cyber risk insurance policies can protect your church from business interruption, network security, media liability, errors and omissions, privacy liability, data breaches, virus attacks, ransom ware, social engineering (phishing, etc.) and even more types of computer crime.
Many package or liability policies provide some level of cyber coverage. Work with your agent to ensure that the coverage you have is adequate to cover your current and foreseeable exposures. A stand-alone cyber may be more appropriate for your needs.
The internet can be a scary place. UMIP is here to help.
Assess your risks. Evaluate your options. Download the BUYING GUIDE today.
This content has been prepared by United Methodist Insurance Company (UMI) for informational purposes only. No article or document may accurately contemplate all possible scenarios or church resources. As such, this information is meant to foster discussion by the individual church and its members to develop a plan tailored to its own circumstances. UMI is providing this information with no warranties or guarantees of any kind and it should not be viewed as legal, financial, or other professional advice. All liability is expressly disclaimed. Any claim examples described herein are general in nature, may or may not be based on actual claims, and are for informational purposes only. Any coverage available for a claim is determined from the facts and circumstances of the claim as well as the terms and conditions of any applicable policy, including any exclusions or deductibles. In the event of a conflict with the content herein, the terms and conditions of any issued policy will control. Individual coverage may vary and may not be available in all states.
The commercial insurance coverages for United Methodist Insurance are sold and serviced directly or indirectly by Sovereign Insurance Agency (CA Lic. No. 0B01380) ("Sovereign") and underwritten by various available insurance markets. Sovereign pays United Methodist Insurance a royalty for the use of its intellectual property.