New Nationwide call checker tool: how is your bank fighting fraud?

 The average person receives eight suspicious calls a month, according to Nationwide.  To fight back, it’s launched a 'call checker' feature so that customers know they are speaking to Nationwide and not a fraudster.

It joins a growing list of current account providers adding caller ID tools to help customers spot scammers. 

Fraudsters posing as your bank invent bogus reasons for you to share personal details, provide security codes, give them remote access to your device, or transfer money to an account they control. 

Here, we look at how call checker works and dive into the rest of the best anti-scam tools launched by UK banks. 

Which banks offer caller verification?

Nationwide says members can now instantly confirm whether a call they’re on is genuine through their banking app. They simply open the app, go to 'more', and 'call checker', and the screen will display either 'You’re on a call with [name]' or 'You’re not on a call with us.'

Barclays, Monzo, Revolut and Starling all offer similar tools to help customers identify phone scammers. 

Monzo told Which? that its customers have reported more than 18,000 attempts at fraud, which have been identified through using its call status feature since its launch in 2023. 

• Barclays: If someone calls claiming to be from Barclays, you can ask them to send a secure notification to your Barclays app via 'app ID'. 
• Monzo and Starling: Look for 'call status' warnings to see if someone from the bank is genuinely on the phone to you or not (Monzo shows this under its security settings, Starling within the payment screen). 
• Revolut: Its new ‘we are not talking to you’ feature automatically detects if you are on a call when you open the app and flags whether or not you are talking with a Revolut agent. You can also hang up and use the in-app call feature to reach support securely.

If in doubt, call 159 

If you’re with another provider and you receive a call from your bank, you can call 159 instead. When you call the number, you’ll hear an automated message asking you which bank you would like to be connected to. Staff will then confirm if the call was genuine, or a scam. 

Participants include The Co-operative Bank, Danske Bank, Chase, First Direct, Halifax, HSBC, Lloyds Bank, Metro Bank, NatWest, Santander and TSB (calls are usually included in your monthly minutes).

• Find out more:best bank accounts 2026

Banks using AI to spot scams 

Some banks are also using artificial intelligence to help customers assess whether something is likely to be a scam before any money is lost.

The Metro Bank scam checker is powered by an AI company called Ask Silver, although anyone (not just Metro customers) can take a photo or screenshot of a suspicious email, website, letter or leaflet and share it with Ask Silver online or via WhatsApp (add 07700153424 to your WhatsApp contact list and save it as Metro Bank Scam Checker) to ask the chatbot if it’s likely to be dodgy.

Metro Bank says it will never initiate conversations with you via the scam checker tool online or WhatsApp. 

Starling has offered its own AI-powered scam detection tool since November 2025, which aims to protect customers from purchase scams – the most common type of authorised push payment (APP) fraud. 

Its scam intelligence tool analyses marketplace ads to detect scam signs in seconds. Customers simply upload images of items, online marketplace ads, or even messages with sellers, and the tool will highlight red flags that suggest they are at risk of being scammed. 

For example, if you wanted to buy a high-value item from Facebook Marketplace, the scam intelligence tool might tell you that the price is suspiciously low, or too good to be true. Or, it might reveal that the product image is fake or stolen from somewhere else. 

• Find out more: the latest scam alerts from Which?

Talk to Nationwide about risky payments

Alongside its new call checker feature, Nationwide also offers a scam checker service for members who want reassurance before sending money.

Members can call a freephone number (0800 030 4057), or visit a branch to discuss a payment they are unsure about. Staff trained to spot the signs of fraud will talk through the circumstances of the transfer and raise any concerns.

Nationwide says this service, first launched in 2021, prevents an estimated £300,000 in scam losses each month. Under its scam protection promise, the building society also says it will reimburse members who fall victim to an authorised push payment scam after being given the go-ahead to proceed, subject to its terms.

• Find out more: how safe is online banking?

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What else are banks doing to protect you from scams?

We’ve made a list of the best anti-fraud features offered by current account providers to protect you against impersonation scams, as well as pickpockets and phone snatchers.

If you look at this list and realise your bank is lagging behind, contact it to demand more and consider ditching it for a bank that is on the front foot. 

Real-time notifications

Instant mobile notifications of money coming in and out of your account make it much easier and quicker to spot fraudulent transactions. Digital challenger banks were the first, but most high street banks have followed suit.        

Instant card freezing

If your card goes missing, most banks let you temporarily block your card in-app without having to call or visit a branch (The Co-operative Bank is a notable exception). You can then unfreeze it (if it's found) or report it lost/stolen to get it blocked and ask your provider to issue a new one.  

In-app card controls 

Barclays, Chase, Lloyds Banking Group, NatWest, Santander, Starling and TSB let you block remote purchases made online, over the phone and by mail order if you're worried that your card details may have been stolen. 

Virtual debit cards 

Chase, Monzo, NatWest Group, Revolut and Starling offer virtual cards, which are ideal to use on unfamiliar (and therefore risky) websites. When you shop with a virtual card online or over the phone, you don’t share your actual card details, so you’re better protected against data breaches, and you can delete a virtual debit card without affecting your physical one.

Location-based protection

Monzo and Revolut allow you to set known or trusted locations (like your home) so that if a transfer above a certain limit is attempted from a different place, it will be blocked (Monzo) or subject to additional ID checks and a one-hour delay (Revolut). 

Trusted contacts

Monzo has an optional feature that lets you nominate a friend or family member who must give the OK for large transfers before the money leaves your account.

Undo payments

Another industry-first security feature for Monzo gives customers a 10-60 second window to cancel a bank transfer after sending it if they spot a mistake or suspect fraud.

Beefed-up security for savings

Turn on Revolut’s ‘Wealth Protection’ feature if you want it to make additional biometric checks (verifying the user against the selfie ID checks you completed when you first signed up) if there is a request to move funds from your savings. 

Screen-sharing blurring

Santander’s app now automatically blurs your sensitive information and blocks banking actions if it detects remote-access software (often used by impersonation scammers) running on your phone.