As Heartland Bank finds regular fraud attempts through phone and email
As scams grow more sophisticated, Heartland Bank CEO Michelle Winzer is warning that older Australians are increasingly at risk of financial exploitation – and is calling for greater public awareness of the issue.
According to Winzer, Heartland’s financial crime team regularly detects fraud attempts where criminals impersonate trusted institutions to extract sensitive information.
“They might use convincing phone calls, deceptive emails, or phishing links to trick our customers into sharing personal identifiers like dates of birth or drivers licence numbers.” Winzer told Savings.com.au, adding that this problem is likely to escalate further as the country’s demographics shift.
“[The number of people] aged 75 to 84 is increasing at nearly five times the rate it was just 15 years ago, creating a large pool of potentially vulnerable individuals.”
Winzer noted that many of these scams rely on urgency and fear to push victims into rash decisions. Some fraudsters claim to be from companies like Telstra and instruct targets to download software that gives them remote access to a computer. Others pressure people into revealing one-time passcodes or login details under the guise of security checks or account recovery.
Whatever the case, Winzer said it’s important never to act immediately when approached in this way, especially if the request comes through an unsolicited call. Regularly reviewing bank statements and credit reports can also help detect early signs of fraudulent activity.
Spotting scam messages can come down to small details. Security teams say to be cautious of communications that don’t use your name, contain unusual spelling or grammar errors, or come from email addresses that look slightly off – like using a number “1” instead of the letter “I” in the domain name.
For families, the concern is often about protecting ageing parents or grandparents. Winzer said financial education plays a crucial role in preventing abuse, especially with the elderly.
“It’s vital to speak openly about elder abuse and dismantle the stigma so more people feel empowered to ask for help without fear or embarrassment. Let’s acknowledge the realities many older Australians face. While this issue won’t be fixed overnight, raising awareness can significantly reduce this fear,” Winzer said.
