Commonwealth Bank of Australia
ABN 48 123 123 124
Commonwealth Bank ups the ante
on security
Sydney, 1 December 2009: The Commonwealth Bank has announced plans to further bolster its retail
security systems including anti-skimming devices on ATMs as part of its bid to provide the most secure
banking experience for customers.
The Bank has outlined a number of new initiatives designed to provide customers with a greater sense of
safety and comfort when transacting.
“In the current climate one of the key issues for customers is security and protection of their finances and
personal banking information. We continually look at our security systems across all of our customer
channels and have identified a number of ways that we can further safeguard our customers, their
money and their information,” Group Executive Retail Banking Services Ross McEwan, said.
Mr McEwan outlined a number of new initiatives currently being rolled out by the Commonwealth Bank
including:
Anti-skimming devices across its automatic teller machines (ATMs);
Voice activated telephone alerts (Adeptra) for suspected fraudulent credit card transactions
enabling increased card security for customers;
Gas detection and dye systems in ATMs to deter tampering;
Two factor identification for online card and NetBank transactions; and
Continued roll-out of “Chip Authentication” on credit and debit cards, making card payments
more secure.
“The anti-skimming devices are a significant security investment for the Bank and will assist in preventing
fraudulent activity. We have been piloting these systems and are implementing them across the Bank’s
ATM network,” said Mr McEwan.
“For would-be criminals the new anti-skimming devices will not be visible which may also assist in
apprehending perpetrators,” he said.
Mr McEwan said the Bank had also recently bolstered its credit card fraud notification system so that
customers are contacted even more quickly should any potentially suspicious transactions occur on their
account.
“We continually monitor credit card transactions of customers to identify unusual or potentially fraudulent
activity. With the introduction of the voice activated Adeptra telephone alert system, we can now contact
customers within seconds of any potentially fraudulent activity,” he said.
Mr McEwan said the system triggers an automated call to the customer to ascertain the legitimacy of a
recent transaction via a pre-recorded script followed by prompts to follow for further action where
required.
“While this does not completely eradicate fraudulent activity, it does ensure that accounts can be shut
down quickly to limit the impact on the customer, and allow remediation action to begin quickly and
efficiently to return customers’ funds.”
Mr McEwan said the Bank is committed to continuously improving security for customers.
Commonwealth Bank of Australia
ABN 48 123 123 124
“Fraudsters and thieves are unfortunately becoming more and more sophisticated and bold in their
methods and we are committed to investing whatever we need to in order to stay ahead of their game.”
ENDS
Media looking for more information contact:
Sarah Gibbons
Commonwealth Bank
Ph: (02) 9378 5096
Customers looking for more information about personal financial and online security should visit
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