ANZ has unveiled a video series showcasing the work of its Scam Assist team, which focuses on combating scam threats and assisting customers. This initiative is part of ANZ's ongoing effort to raise awareness about scams among its customers and the wider community.
Over the past year, ending September 30, 2024, ANZ reported a significant reduction in customer scam losses by approximately 46%, with a decrease in scam events by around 28%. During this period, the bank successfully prevented over $140 million from falling into the hands of cybercriminals.
Ruth Talalla, ANZ Scam Portfolio Lead, stated: “There’s a scam out there for everyone, including me. Scams have become more and more sophisticated – it’s sophisticated call centres, they’re well-run businesses, they’ll have amazing looking websites. In some cases, scammers are the victims of human trafficking and are forced to work in scam call centres."
Talalla emphasized that their Customer Protection teams are proactive in identifying potential scams and aim to equip customers with knowledge to recognize scams. "We hope to empower customers to have the knowledge to be able to spot a scam and ultimately, we want to make Australia the hardest place for scammers to operate,” she added.
Scam Assist Officers Chantara Lowe and Reza Ebrahimi shared their experiences working with affected customers. Lowe remarked: “I’ve seen people from every walk of life fall victim to a scam – people who thought it could never happen to them." She noted that as scams evolve continuously, their team strives to find collaborative ways to thwart scammers' efforts.
Ebrahimi expressed his dedication: “For me, this isn’t just a job – it’s a place where I actually get to help people.”
The videos are available on ANZ bluenotes for viewing.
For media inquiries contact:
ANZ
Will Watson
Public Relations Advisor
Tel: +61 403 878 269
Amanda Schultz
Media & Public Relations Manager
Tel: +61 401 532 325