Westpac Partners with Optus to Roll out New In-App Calling Feature

In an effort to address the growing problem of bank impersonation scams, Westpac has announced a new collaboration with telecommunications provider Optus to introduce Westpac SafeCall, a verified in-app calling capability. This new feature is designed to enhance the security of customer communications by ensuring that calls received through the app are Westpac-branded, verified by Optus, and include a clear reason for the call.

Westpac SafeCall aims to provide customers with increased confidence in the legitimacy of their calls amidst a surge in scam activities targeting bank clients. According to Westpac CEO Peter King, the bank is currently successful in detecting 69% of all scam cases. The introduction of SafeCall is expected to further bolster the bank's efforts in preventing bank impersonation scams and strengthen Australia's defenses against fraudulent activities.

The SafeCall system is powered by Vonage, Ericsson's cloud communication subsidiary, and will be gradually rolled out to Westpac customers over the coming months. This new feature follows a similar initiative by UK neobank Monzo, which launched a "status call" feature last year to help customers distinguish between legitimate bank calls and potential scams.