Overview
- The new Call Checker in Nationwide’s banking app lets users confirm during a call whether they are speaking to a genuine Nationwide colleague, displaying either “You’re on a call with Alex” or “You’re not on a call with us.”
- Nationwide’s December survey found people receive about eight suspected scam calls a month, 57% believe such calls are increasing, and 28% are not confident spotting a genuine bank call, with 53% hanging up, 29% reporting to their bank, 26% to Action Fraud, and 17% doing nothing.
- Nationwide customer data shows impersonation scams account for 17% of reported fraud cases and disproportionately affect over‑65s who make up 55% of victims, though younger adults are also targeted.
- The feature complements Nationwide’s Scam Checker service, which the lender says is used by around 100,000 people and prevents roughly £300,000 from being lost each month.
- Security and AI experts welcomed the tool as a practical safeguard, warning that legacy telecom systems and AI‑driven voice cloning are aiding scammers, with UK Finance reporting £65.9 million stolen through impersonation scams in 2024.