Latest news with #MelanieHayden
Finextra
11-08-2025
- Business
- Finextra
CommBank reports 76% drop in scam losses as new security features rolled out
Australia's CommBank has unveiled a Gen AI scam detection tool that lets customers test suspicious text messages and a new feature in the bank's mobile app that will reduce the need for one-time passcodes to authorise online card transactions 0 The new Gen AI pilot enables anyone using the digital identity protection app Truyu - built by CommBank's venture scaling arm x15ventures - to take a screenshot of a suspicious looking SMS, upload it into the app, and get instant analysis from CommBank's Scam Checker tool. Melanie Hayden, managing director at Truyu, says: 'Scam Checker uses Gen AI and CommBank scams intelligence - it's a powerful combination. "When you upload a suspicious text to Scam Checker, you're not just protecting yourself. You're also helping keep others safe by sharing valuable information that can be used to help protect them too." Truyu alerts users in near real-time when their identity is used at major merchants - like banks and telcos - or when their personal information is exposed in a data breach. The app then guides them on what to do next. In a second innovation, customers using the CommBank app will now be asked to verify certain online card transactions via the app - before the transaction is authorised, in real-time, reducing the need for one-time passcodes for those transactions. James Roberts, CommBank's general manager of group fraud, says: 'Scammers often impersonate legitimate businesses by sending fraudulent text messages to trick customers into following instructions in the message. 'We're now asking those customers who use the CommBank app to verify some online card transactions directly in the app instead of sending them a code. We are able to give clearer guidance and warnings in the app than in a text message.' The CommBank app uses device recognition adding another layer of protection against account takeover. 'Earlier this year CommBank introduced in-app authentication to help stop unauthorised access to a customer's online banking, even if a would-be intruder has obtained the customer's password," says Roberts. 'We're now looking at progressively moving other sensitive notifications and actions into the app - such as transaction alerts and security prompts - to enhance customer protections.' The new fraud protection features come as the Australian lender reports a 76% drop in customer scam losses since peak (H1 2023). The bank says it is investing $900 million this year to further bolster its cyber defences.
Yahoo
10-08-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Major bank's Australian-first move to crack down on costly $9.5m scourge: 'Screenshot the text'
Commonwealth Bank (CBA) has launched an Australian-first tool to help people check whether they're about to be scammed. It can be difficult sometimes to work out whether a text message that's landed in your phone is real or from a criminal trying to steal your information or money. But CBA's new AI-powered Scam Checker aims to crack down on this issue. Users will now be able to send a screenshot of the message to the Truyu app, which is owned by CBA, to check what they should do. "When you upload a suspicious text to Scam Checker, you're not just protecting yourself. You're also helping keep others safe by sharing valuable information that can be used to help protect them too," Melanie Hayden, Truyu's managing director, said. RELATED Duplicitous new scam targeting 'vulnerable' Aussies costs pensioner $45,000 Text message 'proves' common dinner bill foul play as woman left '$500 out-of-pocket Woolworths shopper saves $60 after discovering game-changing new trick How does CBA's Scam Checker work? Scammers have been able to impersonate banks big and small across Australia, as well as other trusted organisations like Centrelink, the ATO, telcos, internet service providers, and myGov. Some text messages can arrive in the same thread as previous legitimate conversations from that person or organisation, which can make it hard to know what to trust. But Scam Checker uses a "powerful combination" of generative AI and CBA's scams intelligence to dig into the nitty-gritty of any message you give it. While scammers might try their best to look and sound exactly like the group or person they're imitating, they're not always perfect. The tool will be able to scan the message and any links included within seconds to determine whether you should reply to avoid. In the first half of 2024, nearly 58,000 scam text messages were reported, but calls led to the highest reported losses. There have been more than 11,700 of these dodgy messages reported in 2025 so far, with $9.5 million in reported is Truyu? The Truyu app was launched last year between CBA and its digital business arm x15ventures as a way to prevent customers from being scammed. They can check the app to see whether their personal or banking information has been exposed in a data breach. Users will get alerted if their name, date of birth, passport or driver's licence details are being used by thousands of retailers and vendors across the country. If there's a company or business that doesn't ring a bell, customers can find out how the details are being used and shut it down if it's illegitimate. Scam Checker is another weapon in Truyu's arsenal, which has already saved thousands of Australians from being hacked. You can get three months of free access when you sign up, and then after that it costs $4.99 per month. CBA users will be asked to verify certain card purchases One-time passwords (OTPs) have been used by many banks across Australia to help verify a payment or money transfer. However, CBA customers will be asked to log in to the bank's app to approve certain card payments instead of receiving those OTPs. "We are able to give clearer guidance and warnings in the app than in a text message," James Roberts, CBA's general manager of Group Fraud, said. It's aimed at relying less on text messages for important communication between the bank and its customers, as these messages can be hijacked by scammers. 'Earlier this year CommBank introduced in-app authentication to help stop unauthorised access to a customer's online banking, even if a would-be intruder has obtained the customer's password," Roberts added. "We're now looking at progressively moving other sensitive notifications and actions into the app – such as transaction alerts and security prompts – to enhance customer protections."Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data
