Banks tighten scam defenses across five-stage attack chain

Outseer hosted a recent webinar in which industry experts reviewed consumer survey data from more than 15 markets and examined the scam controls banks deploy across the five stages of an attack: pre-attack, consumer compromise, transaction, receipt and post-attack.

Speakers included Martyn Higson, principal product manager at Outseer, with Sharon Kimathi serving as moderator and researcher. The session drew on survey responses to map consumer concerns for 2026 and to assess which controls are in use at major financial institutions.

Presenters cited industry estimates that losses to financial institutions from scams could reach USD 55.3 billion by 2030 and reported rising use of scam-as-a-service platforms and AI-assisted social engineering. The webinar framed the discussion around the five-stage attack chain so controls could be judged by where they intervene.

Survey data shown during the session indicated that consumers expect banks to act across the attack chain. Respondents identified prevention before customers are targeted, clear warnings when compromise is likely, stronger transaction screening, timely notification when fraud occurs, and support for remediation after an attack as key expectations.

Panelists described the mix of technical and behavioural controls banks are using. Automated fraud detection, transaction monitoring and device intelligence were listed as common technical measures. Controls aimed at influencing customer decisions-timely alerts, contextual warnings and interface design that reduces risky actions-were described as additional measures that banks are deploying.

The research presented showed variation in consumer concerns and trust levels by region. Panelists reported that some institutions adjust their combination of tools and processes to local threat patterns and customer expectations, applying measures from pre-attack intelligence and customer education through to rapid post-attack response and recovery assistance.

Speakers identified recent innovations intended to narrow the window of opportunity for attackers, including faster detection mechanisms and increased coordination between customer-facing teams and fraud units. They described efforts to align technical systems, frontline controls and customer communications to increase the likelihood of intercepting scams and to improve response when customers are targeted.

The webinar positioned Outseer’s consumer survey and the five-stage framework as reference points for banks to evaluate controls and set priorities for investment. The session focused on where specific controls intervene in the attack chain and on which measures respondents reported as most effective or expected from their banks.