The United Kingdom’s Starling Bank has introduced a new
feature in its app designed to help protect customers from bank impersonation
scams. This feature, known as the ‘call status indicators,’ is visible on the
home screen and payment screen.

The call status indicators provide real-time information
about whether a customer is receiving a genuine call from Starling. They will
indicate if the bank has never called the customer or provide details about
when the last call occurred.

Bank Impersonation Scams Persist Financially

When users open the Starling app to initiate a payment, they
will see one of several messages. These include: “We’ve never called you,”
“We’re calling you now,” “You’re on a call with Starling,” “We aren’t calling
you,” or “No recent calls”.

Despite a reported 84% of UK adults being aware of bank
impersonation scams, these scams continue to have a significant financial
impact. They result in losses totaling approximately £78.9 million each year.