Nationwide Building Society has launched a new security feature designed to protect its members from the growing threat of bank impersonation scams. The 'Call Checker' tool, available within the Nationwide app, allows customers to instantly verify if an incoming call is genuinely from their building society.
The Rising Tide of Suspicious Calls
This move comes in response to alarming research conducted by Nationwide, which found that 57 per cent of people believe suspicious calls are becoming more frequent. On average, individuals report receiving around eight such calls every month. The study also revealed that 28 per cent of respondents have already received a scam call, with this figure rising sharply to 44 per cent among those aged 25 to 34.
Perhaps most concerning is the crisis of confidence it uncovered. 28 per cent of people admitted they are not confident in their ability to spot a genuine call from their bank or building society. This lack of assurance leaves many vulnerable to sophisticated fraudsters.
How the New 'Call Checker' Works
The tool is simple to use. If a customer receives a call purporting to be from Nationwide, they can open the building society's app, navigate to the "More" section, and select "Call Checker". The screen will then display a clear message: either “You’re on a call with Alex” (or another genuine Nationwide employee) or “You’re not on a call with us.”
Jim Winters, Director of Economic Crime at Nationwide, explained the necessity of the tool: "Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, and impersonation calls are one of the most common ways they trick people into handing over money. We are programmed to trust people and when someone uses clever tactics and well-practised scripts - often putting us under pressure or making us panic - it can be hard to know who to trust."
He added that the feature gives customers peace of mind and is "a simple and effective step that could prevent someone from becoming the next crime statistic."
Complementing Existing Security Measures
The Call Checker builds on Nationwide's existing Scam Checker service, which is already used by 100,000 people and is credited with preventing approximately £300,000 from being lost to fraud every month. The building society decided to introduce the new tool after its research highlighted a significant gap in how people respond to suspicious calls.
While 53 per cent of people hang up immediately when they become suspicious, only 29 per cent report the incident to their bank, and a mere 26 per cent contact Action Fraud. Worryingly, this means close to a fifth (17%) of those targeted do nothing at all, allowing criminals to continue their operations unchecked.
Nationwide, which has a significant presence including branches in Birmingham, competes with other major high street banks such as HSBC UK, Santander, Lloyds, Barclays, and NatWest. This proactive step in customer protection highlights the ongoing battle financial institutions face against increasingly cunning economic crime.
