The feature on Starling Bank’s smartphone app will instantly let customers know if they’re receiving a genuine call from Starling at that very moment – or if the call is from a scammer.
The feature will also indicate if Starling has never called the customer or will give information on when the bank last called them.
Starling Bank said it has developed the tool to give customers peace of mind and reduce fraud losses.
According to the UK Finance Annual Fraud Report 2024, despite 84% of UK adults being aware of bank impersonation scams, they still account for about £78.9m of losses per year.
A bank impersonation scam occurs when a fraudster urges a bank customer to transfer money into a ‘safe account’, usually as a result of a fabricated compromise of their bank account.
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How does the call status indicator work?
The call status indicators will be visible on the app home screen and within the payment screen – where a customer would be looking if they were being pressured into transferring funds.
When someone opens the Starling app to make a payment, they will see one of the following messages:
- “We’ve never called you”
- “We’re calling you now”
- “You’re on a call with Starling”
- “We aren’t calling you”
- “No recent calls (including information on when the bank and customer last spoke)”
Monzo offers a similar call status feature – read this story to discover how it stopped a YourMoney.com reporter being scammed.
Sarah Lenette, financial crime specialist at Starling Bank, said: “We’re constantly looking for new ways to stop scammers in their tracks. Bank impersonations are very sophisticated and anyone can become a victim. Call status indicators give our customers confidence to know whether they’re being contacted by a genuine representative of the bank, or a con artist, which is why we’re proud to launch this today.”
Starling Bank recently launched a ‘Safe Phrases’ campaign to encourage families and friends to create a secret phrase, so they can verify they are talking to the real person in the event of artificial intelligence (AI) voice fraud.
How to avoid impersonation scams
Be aware that your bank will never call you and ask you to transfer money to keep it safe. Also, no bank would ever ask for your full card number or PIN.
If you receive a phone call asking you to transfer money to keep it safe, hang up and call 159. When you call 159, you’ll get through to your bank directly and securely.
It’s worth noting that scammers can ‘spoof’ phone numbers to make them look like they’re from a legitimate source, so always hang up and dial 159 to be put through to the correct location.
