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The telco and the big four bank have announced their Scam Indicator technology has expanded to protect customers on landline phones.
Telstra and the Commonwealth Bank of Australia have announced an expansion to the pair’s Scam Indicator technology, which will add a new layer of protection against scams, especially for the elderly – it now covers landline phone connections.
The service, launched in October 2023, previously only covered mobile phones; however, Telstra research shows that 85 per cent of all landlines are registered to a cohort particularly vulnerable to scams – people aged 60 and over.
According to CommBank’s general manager of group fraud, James Roberts, brazen scammers often take advantage of phone calls to pressure their victims.
“Scammers are often bold enough to pick up the phone and talk directly with unsuspecting victims. They create a sense of urgency and use impersonation tactics to often trick their target to download software that gives them remote access to their victim’s computer,” Roberts said in a statement.
“Working together with Telstra is a good example of the power of collaboration, using data and technology for good with security and privacy at the forefront. We know we are stronger together against the scammers when we take a whole-of-ecosystem approach – banks, social media, telcos, government, and also consumers, all have a role to play.”
Telstra CEO Sandy Cameron praised CommBank’s collaboration on the project.
“Protecting Australians from scams is a team sport, and Scam Indicator is a powerful example of how we’re stronger when we work together to help protect our customers from scammers,” Cameron said.
“Landlines are still an essential service for many Australians, but they can also be a target for opportunistic scammers who prey on people’s trust and goodwill. Expanding Scam Indicator to cover landlines means we’re able to help safeguard those in our community that are most vulnerable to being targeted by cyber criminals.”
Roberts also provided an example of the Scam Indicator in action.
“Our teams recently used this technology to help stop an elderly customer from being scammed when she was talking to a scammer using her landline,” Roberts said.
“The customer had been convinced by the scammer to download software that gave them full access to her computer and banking information. Scam Indicator technology allowed us to monitor the customer’s banking activity and decline around $70,000 in attempted scam transactions, so the money didn’t end up leaving the customer’s account.”
David Hollingworth has been writing about technology for over 20 years, and has worked for a range of print and online titles in his career. He is enjoying getting to grips with cyber security, especially when it lets him talk about Lego.
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