Banks Adopt Layered Controls to Curb Consumer Scams

In a recent webinar hosted by Outseer, industry experts reviewed consumer survey data from more than 15 markets and mapped the controls banks are using to address consumer scams in 2026. Panel participants included Martyn Higson and moderator Sharon Kimathi. The session focused on controls across five stages of a scam: pre-attack, consumer compromise, transaction, receipt and post-attack.

Panelists reported that AI-powered attacks and scam-as-a-service models are increasing the scale and sophistication of scams, and cited an industry estimate that losses to financial institutions could reach $55.3 billion by 2030. The survey aimed to capture consumers’ top scam concerns and their expectations of bank interventions.

At the pre-attack stage, banks have expanded monitoring for emerging threat patterns and are testing timed customer communications and education to reduce vulnerability before an attack begins. For the consumer compromise stage, institutions are using behavioural analytics and device signals to detect unusual account activity that may indicate account takeover or credential theft.

During transaction decisioning, leading banks reported wider use of real-time transaction controls and adaptive authentication to stop suspicious transfers. At the receipt stage, when customers receive confirmations or collect funds, banks are experimenting with clearer, timely warnings and multi-step verification to interrupt fraudster instructions.

In post-attack scenarios, the webinar highlighted faster remediation pathways, clearer reporting processes for victims and improved coordination between banks and law enforcement as steps to limit consumer harm and financial loss.

Speakers described a layered approach that combines real-time analytics, behavioural interventions and customer-focused processes rather than relying on any single control. Martyn Higson outlined how behavioural insights can guide the timing and tone of customer alerts while analytics help prioritise alerts most likely to prevent loss.

Panelists also addressed trade-offs between fraud prevention and customer convenience. Banks are testing contextual, risk-based responses that escalate only when analytics flag truly anomalous actions, aiming to limit interruptions for legitimate customers while blocking suspicious behaviour.

The discussion referenced the wider availability of scam-as-a-service tools and generative AI, which panelists said have lowered the technical barrier for sophisticated social-engineering attacks. The Outseer survey and webinar concluded that collaboration across institutions, shared threat intelligence and further research into what influences consumer decisions will inform how banks prioritise investments in scam controls going forward.