ANZ warns of scam-coaching rise that trains victims to fool banks

Australia's ANZ bank has issued a fresh alert about a disturbing new scheme known as "scam-coaching," in which criminals do not simply pose as legitimate entities but actually coach their targets on how to deceive the bank. The tactic involves providing victims with carefully crafted scripts and cover stories designed to get fraudulent transactions past a bank's security checks.

Under this approach, fraudsters instruct individuals on exactly what to say during phone calls with bank staff, how to answer verification questions, and which responses are likely to raise suspicion. The goal is to turn the victim into an unwitting collaborator, someone who can convincingly vouch for a payment that is actually part of an elaborate hoax.

The emergence of scam-coaching reflects an escalation in financial fraud, where con artists increasingly focus on manipulating the human layer of banking safeguards. Rather than hacking systems, they exploit trust and fear, giving their targets a rehearsed role that can override the usual warnings and checks that representatives are trained to apply.

ANZ is urging customers to remain vigilant and treat any request that involves deceiving the bank as a major red flag. If someone tells you to lie to a banker or follow a script during a verification, hang up and contact the bank directly using official channels. Financial institutions never ask customers to conceal information from staff, and any such demand should be treated as an immediate sign of fraud.