ANZ has reported a decline in customer scam losses, highlighting its recent efforts to combat fraud and cybercrime. According to the bank, between October 2024 and June 2025, financial losses due to scams fell by about 15% compared to the previous year. This follows a 49% reduction in losses during the same period last year.
The bank attributes these results to its multi-layered scam prevention strategy, which includes new security tools, increased customer engagement with protection features, and expanded education initiatives.
A key addition is Digital Padlock, described by ANZ as an Australian-first feature that instantly locks scammers out of accounts. The tool is designed as a ‘last resort’ lock for customers.
During the nine-month reporting period, ANZ says it prevented and recovered more than $100 million in funds related to scams and fraud. The First Responders team resolved 93% of scam-related calls at first contact and handled nearly 150,000 calls.
Customers using ANZ Plus who kept default Scam Safe protections enabled were found to be 19 times less likely to fall victim than those who disabled at least one feature. Since launching CallSafe in November 2024, almost 30,000 customer calls have been securely authenticated.
ANZ Head of Customer Protection Shaq Johnson said: “Scams Awareness Week is a powerful reminder that staying ahead of cybercriminals requires constant work and vigilance. We’re proud that our detection teams are intercepting threats faster than ever, and that our customers are becoming increasingly aware of how to protect themselves.”
The bank cautions against complacency despite these improvements. It encourages Australians to use educational resources such as the MoneyMinded scams module—an online workshop aimed at helping participants identify scams and seek support.
One participant from Victoria shared her experience after completing the module: “I moved to Australia in 2015, and English is my second language. With scams becoming harder and harder to spot, I wanted to feel confident navigating online shopping and banking. The workshop gave me practical tools to spot common red flags, verify if a contact is legitimate, and know what steps to take if something doesn’t feel right. I feel so much more confident in my understanding and know exactly what to look out for before entering any personal details,” Adriana said.
ANZ also recently introduced Confirmation of Payee (CoP), an account name matching service intended to reduce mistaken payments or fraud attempts by allowing customers to verify payee details before proceeding with transactions. Since its launch, over 140,000 payments were abandoned after customers received mismatch warnings from CoP.
The bank states it has fulfilled all commitments under the Australian Banking Association Scam-Safe Accord as part of its ongoing efforts against scams targeting both consumers and small businesses.
ANZ continues investing in education campaigns during Scams Awareness Week through community outreach programs and providing updates on its anti-cybercrime measures.