Monzo, a UK-based digital bank, has introduced an in-app “status call” feature to help customers distinguish between genuine bank staff and fraudsters conducting impersonation scams. Impersonation fraud, where scammers pose as trusted organizations like banks to trick individuals into sending money, accounted for 45,367 cases of financial fraud in the UK in 2022, resulting in losses totaling £177.6 million.
The new Monzo tool allows users to check their “call status” within the app, indicating whether a member of the bank’s team is actively engaged in a conversation with them. If the “Monzo call status” indicates that a bank team member is not currently speaking with the customer, the app displays a message advising the user to hang up immediately and report the call to Monzo.
The feature includes an orange icon with a crossed-out phone and a message stating, “We’re not talking to you; if someone is telling you they’re from Monzo, hang up now.” When a user lacks an internet connection, a grey icon with a crossed-out phone appears, accompanied by a message that reads, “No internet, don’t answer. It’s safer not to answer calls from anyone saying they’re from Monzo now.”
Monzo emphasizes that it will never initiate a call to a customer without prior arrangement through in-app chat, aiming to protect customers from falling victim to impersonation scams.
By FCCT Editorial Team
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