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At The Mutual Bank we are dedicated to safeguarding our Members from scams and fraud.  As part of this commitment, we are working to introduce the Scam-Safe Accord, a joint initiative by Customer Owned Banking (COBA) the Australian Banking Authority (ABA).  The Scam-Safe Accord aims to protect Australian consumers and small businesses through principles of disrupt, detect, and respond.  A key initiative of this is the Confirmation of Payee (COP) service which is a solution to verify payee details when making a payment or transferring money.  The Confirmation of Payee (CoP) service, an industry-wide initiative by Australian Payments Plus (AP+) adds a new layer of protection for our Members. It helps verify payee details when making a payment or transferring money, ensuring that you are sending the money to the right place.  You can learn more about this new service, including reading some Frequently Asked Questions here.

The Customer Owned Banking Association (COBA) warns people to be on the alert for scammers targeting people impacted by the severe weather event which impacted the Hunter and parts of NSW.  “In the chaos following severe weather events and natural disasters, it is important to be vigilant as scammers prey on people's desperation and goodwill,” said COBA Head of Financial Crimes and Cyber Resilience Martin Latimer.  Following emergencies, fraudsters will often impersonate government agencies like Centrelink and the ATO, or utility providers, offering supposed rebates.  “They know people are desperate to recover financially, and they exploit that desperation by offering false promises of financial relief. This tactic of offering rebates and insurance payouts is a classic tool used by scammers to gain access to personal information and bank details,” he warned.  Another common tactic scammers use is to pose as legitimate charitable organisations, COBA warns. Before donating, take the time to verify the charity's legitimacy through trusted resources like the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission (ACNC). When you're ready to give, go directly to the official website of the charity to make your donation.   “Always check the legitimacy of a URL, look for secure payment methods, and confirm their affiliation with the genuine charity or organisation. Best practice is to only donate through the genuine website,” Martin advised.  Be wary of unsolicited donation requests, another key sign of scams. Scammers also use phishing to steal your personal and financial data.  “A common phishing tactic is a scammer sending a text message, social media post or email, asking for donations and urging you to click on a link. These links will lead to fake websites and phishing pages designed to steal personal and payment information, or download malware onto your device,” Martin said.  “Avoid sharing any information that is not relevant, and don’t give out information to unknown or unverified individuals or organisations, especially if the contact was unsolicited,” he added.   Always remember to “Stop. Check. Protect”. If you encounter a potential scam, report it to ScamWatch.gov.au to help protect others. If you think you've been scammed, immediately report the transaction(s) by call us in business hours on 1300 688 825 or email us at info@themutual.com.au. If you are experiencing financial hardship due to the weather event, please reach out to us, as we may be able to help. Members can access the Financial Hardship Request Form on our website which you can fill out and email back to us, and our team will be in touch to see how we may be able to assist you. Members who have CGU insurance can call 13 24 80 or make a claim online at cgu.com.au/claims.  

The Mutual Bank is throwing its support behind a new campaign from the National Anti-Scam Centre to help Australians become more aware of scams. The Stop. Check. Protect campaign aims to educate the community about current scammer tactics, reminding us that anyone can be scammed, and for us not to be afraid to report a scam. The campaign launched on Sunday 19 January and asks us to take these three simple steps: Stop: Don’t give money or your information to anyone if unsure. Scammers will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust like businesses, the police, your bank or government services. They will offer to help you or ask you to verify your identity with them. Check: Ask yourself if the message or call is fake. Never click a link in a message. Only contact businesses or government using contact information that you find yourself from their official website or app. If you’re not sure, say ‘no’, hang up or delete. Protect: Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information. Seek help and report the scam to Scamwatch. When you report scams, you help stop the scam and warn others. You can even find out how safe you are from scams and how to better protect yourself by taking a simple quiz: https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/scam-quiz.                    

Scams are on the rise, and we want to help arm you with some information to help stop and shut down scammers. During Scams Awareness Week, from 26-30 August, we are encouraging our Members and the community to learn more about scams, speak up, share and report scams to help others. This year’s theme for Scams Awareness Week is “Share a story, stop a scam.” It’s about helping others to spot and then steer clear of these digital deceivers. You’re invited to join us at our community events in branch and at Stockland Green Hills during Scams Awareness Week. Share a cuppa and a cupcake with our Financial Crimes Team at your local branch as we talk all things scam related  - what to look out for, the common scams and trends they see and importantly, how to spot and avoid them. Our compassionate Financial Crimes supports our Members impacted by scams and you may be surprised to learn you are not alone, if you have been a victim or have had a close call with a scammer. Along with the Little Black Book of Scams the bank will also have its popular ‘be scam aware’ fridge magnets to give away, which have a handy checklist to run through when you receive a suspicious phone call to help you spot scam calls. Please join us: Monday 26 August at East Maitland Branch from 9-11am Tuesday 27 August at Dungog Branch from 9-11am Tuesday 27 August at Raymond Terrace Branch from 2-4pm Wednesday 28 August at Maitland Branch from 9.30-11.30am Thursday 29 August at Mayfield Branch from 9am-11am Thursday 29 August at Edgeworth Branch from 2pm-4pm Friday 30 August at Rutherford Branch 9am-11am Cupcakes will be available to the first 50 people at each event. You can also catch the team at Stockland Green Hills Shopping Centre, just outside Coles, from Tuesday 27 August to Thursday 29 August. We will also be talking scams with the wider community at Stockland Green Hills Shopping Centre (out the front of Coles) from Tuesday 27 August to Thursday 29 August. By learning more about common scams and by sharing our experiences, we can keep our community be scam aware. We can’t wait to see you! Please remember: to avoid being part of a scam, you can take three key actions – Stop, Check and Report. Stop: Don’t give money or personal information to anyone. Scammers will offer to help you or ask you to verify who you are. They will pretend to be from organisations you know and trust like service providers, the police, your bank or government services. Check: Ask yourself could the message or call be fake? Never click a link in an unknown message. Only contact businesses or government using contact information that you find yourself from their official website. If you’re not sure, say ‘no’, hang up or delete. Report: Act quickly if something feels wrong. Contact your bank if you notice unusual activity or if a scammer gets your money or information. Seek help and report the scam to Report Cyber and Scamwatch. When you report scams, you help all Australians by building our defence against scams.

Money mule scams are becoming more common in Australia, with criminals recruiting victims through job ads and romance offers. Money mules transfer the proceeds of crime – such as fraud or scams – into a third party’s bank account to hide them from authorities. Sometimes, unsuspecting victims get caught up in these scams because they’re disguised as an employment opportunity or even a new romance. Here’s how people get caught out and how you can help stop it from happening to you. How money mule scams work Money mules are intermediaries who act on behalf of other criminals, who are trying to launder or hide money derived from crime. To cover their tracks, money mules may try to recruit new people to get involved in the transfer of large sums of money. One common way of recruiting new people is under the guise of a legitimate employment opportunity, where the employee can earn sums of money quickly by making transfers. Another way involves a potential partner asking their online match to transfer money for them. Shielding yourself from a money mule scam These scams can be quite sophisticated, with fraudsters creating legitimate-looking email addresses and websites to reduce their chance of being detected; however, there are often red flags. The following tips may help: • The old adage ‘if it sounds too good to be true, it probably is’ applies when it comes to money mule scams. Beware of any offers of large sums of money for minimal or easy work. • If you’re offered a job, conduct research on the company, including their ABN, how long the company has been registered and who its director/owner is. Be extra wary of businesses that are listed overseas. • Ask a trusted friend or family member for advice if something seems fishy. • Don’t send money to anyone you don’t know or have not met in person. • Protect your banking details and update your passwords periodically. • Always treat links in emails and text messages with caution. What to do if you think you’ve already been scammed: Immediate actions to take If you believe you’re the victim of a money mule scam, it’s important to report it to both the police and your bank as soon as possible. Call our Hunter-based Contact Centre Team during business hours on 1300 688 825. The sooner you contact us, the more likely it is we may be able to stop the transactions. However, some transactions – such as wire transfers – cannot be stopped. Money mule scams can involve identity theft. After you’ve spoken to us, consider contacting IDCARE – the national identity and cyber support service – on 1800 595 160. You can also report the scam to Scamwatch, the website run by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) to help consumers. Remember, The Mutual Bank may contact Members from time to time but: • We will never ask you for your full card details including your CVV. • We will never ask for your passwords, access codes or One Time Password. • We will never ask you to make a transaction on your account. • We will never ask you to download a program or request remote access to your device. Learn more about how we protect your account and information here. Report a suspected fraud here.

The Mutual Bank is proud to support Privacy Awareness Week which runs from 6 to 12 May 2024. Led by the Office of the Australian Information Commissioner (OAIC) the week provides a great opportunity to consider what you can do to ‘power up’ privacy. With a few simple actions you can make things safer for you and the people close to you. This year’s theme focuses on privacy and technology and the key principles of transparency, accountability, and security – but what do these principles mean in practice? Transparency: If you are asked to provide your personal information or consent, think about privacy. What is being asked for, and how will it be used? Accountability: Our personal data captures who we are – the requirements for protecting it should be high. Expect accountability from organisations that hold this information. You can learn more about how The Mutual Bank deals with and protects your personal information by reading our Privacy Policy. Security: The best thing you can do for your personal information security is to be mindful, and informed. Know your options, understand the technology you are using, and think before you act. We take the security of our Members’ accounts and information seriously. Learn more about how we protect you and advice on how to identify scams on our Security & Fraud page. Privacy tips to help keep your personal information safe: Protect your data by looking at what information your devices and apps hold and can access and review these permissions. Check and consider credentials. This means both looking out for scammers and considering an organisation’s reliability before you hand over your information. Have strong and varied passphrases and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) if it is available. More information on The Mutual Bank’s online security measures can be found Be socially savvy – watch what you share on social media, and check your privacy settings on your account. For example, you can now lock your Facebook profile so it is not visible to strangers. Do regular ‘health checks’ on any accounts with access to your finances. Visit the Privacy Awareness Week website to find out more: paw.gov.au.