If you feel your Online Banking security has been compromised, contact Defence Bank immediately on 1800 033 139 or visit your local branch to arrange a new password.
A scam is a way of tricking people into handing over money or personal details.
Scams are constantly changing as scammers take advantage of new technology, new products and services, and local events or crises.
Scammers are getting smarter, and anyone can be a victim of a scam.
Reporting a scam is an important step to help stop it. Plus it can prevent countless others falling victim too. Report a scam to Scamwatch.
If you have shared financial information or transferred money to a scammer - or if you suspect fraud on your account Please contact us immediately.
Fraud can take many forms and frequently remains unnoticed.
For example, credit card fraud can happen when a device illicitly captures your credit card information during a legitimate transaction. The issue may only come to light when your bank notifies you or when you spot unrecognized charges on your statement.
Phishing is a method cybercriminals use to trick you into giving them your personal information. They send fraudulent emails or text messages, frequently masquerading as reputable, well-known organizations. Their aim is often to obtain sensitive data such as online banking credentials, credit card information, or passwords.
It can be hard to spot scams and fraudulent activity. In a genuine Defece Bank call, SMS message or email, we will never ask you to:
- share sensitive banking details (like passwords, PINs, or one-time passcodes (for payment) in an email or SMS)
- click a link to log in to your account
- grant remote access to your computer, phone, tablet (or any other mobile device)
- transfer money to another account
Need to verify that you are speaking to a Defence Bank Employee? utilise our Verify Defence Bank service.
You can click on the transaction within your online banking or through the app to get more information. This will often give you additional details, such as contact numbers or email addresses to get in touch directly with the merchant.
If you’re still unsure, we can always look into it for you - call our Contact Centre or visit us in-branch. Outside of business hours, you can send us a Secure Message to get on top of it as quickly as possible.
In some cases, the account you incorrectly sent the funds to may not currently be active, in which case the funds will bounce back into your Defence Bank account within 3-5 business days.
If the account is active, we can lodge a trace on the money and attempt to retrieve it for you. Get in touch with our Contact Centre or your nearest branch and we can get this process started as quickly as possible for you. The quicker we get this trace lodged, the more likely it is we can retrieve your funds.
If you don’t recognise a transaction on your account, use our “Look Who’s Charging” feature.
- If you are in the mobile app simply tap the transaction you need further information about.
- If you are in Online Banking click on the red ellipsis (ie. '…').
- Look Who’s Charging will display extended transaction information including the exact address, trading or business name (which can be different to the merchant name), merchant contact details and for some transactions a map showing the location.
If you are still unsure the transaction, call us on 1800 033 139, visit your local branch or send a Secure Message to request further assistance.
Warning: DO NOT send sensitive information such as login details and passwords.
Confirmation of Payee is an industry-wide service that adds a layer of protection for payments to a BSB and account number. It checks the account name, BSB and account number you’ve entered against the details held by the recipient’s bank and lets you know whether it’s a match. This can help you make informed decisions before you make a payment, reducing the risk of scams and mistaken payments.
Confirmation of Payee is an initiative of Australian Payments Plus, the same organisation that also provides trusted payment services like BPAY®, Osko®, eftpos®, PayID® and PayTo®.
BPAY and Osko are registered trademarks of BPAY Pty Ltd ABN 69 079 137 518
eftpos is a registered trademark of eftpos ABN 37 136 180 366
PayID and PayTo are registered trademarks of NPP Australia Ltd ABN 68 601 428 737”
When you make a payment to a BSB and account number, Confirmation of Payee checks the details you enter against the account name, BSB and account number held by the recipient’s bank and gives you a match outcome. That helps you decide what you want to do next – and gives you more confidence that the money you’re paying is going to the right account.
Confirmation of Payee checks the account name, BSB and account number you’ve entered against the details held by the recipient’s bank to let you know whether it’s a match or a close match – or if the details don’t match at all. All Confirmation of Payee information is passed securely between financial institutions to ensure your data remains safe.
If you are receiving money into a personal account, the person who’s paying you will be shown the account name only if the name they have entered is a match or a close match. If any of these details are incorrect, the name will not be shown to protect your privacy.
If you’re a business or government organisation account that’s receiving a payment, the name of your account will be shown to the payer, regardless of whether it’s a match or not.
Yes. Confirmation of Payee will never stop you from completing a payment. We encourage you to be scam aware and always take steps to make sure you know who you are paying, as scams or mistaken payments may be difficult to retrieve.
Names with special characters, like apostrophes (‘), will still match without being entered. For example, enter “O’Brien” as “O Brien” or “Obrien”. Or an account name with an ampersand (&) such as Paper & Pen can be entered as Paper Pen.
If the name you're trying to enter exceeds a character limit in your online banking, let the recipient know and consider how best to proceed by contacting us on 1800 033 139.
If you enter the wrong account details, you can end up sending your money to the wrong recipient. This can be difficult and time-consuming to resolve, which is why it’s important to check the accuracy of the details you enter before you send your money.
Eligible customers may request to be opted-out of the Confirmation of Payee service. This means your account name and match outcome will not be displayed to payers and could impact the likelihood of the payer proceeding with the payment. To understand the opt out process and the implications, please contact each of your financial institutions including us on 1800 033 139 or via Secure mail
To ensure your name is accurate in the Confirmation of Payee service, please contact each of your financial institutions including us on 1800 033 139 or via Secure mail.
You can cancel your credit or debit card through either Online Banking or the Defence Bank mobile app.
Online Banking.
Select Services > Card Management, then select the card you wish to report and follow the prompts.
Mobile app.
Select Manage Accounts > Manage Cards, then select the card you wish to report and follow the prompts.
You can then order a replacement card within the mobile app and be issued with a virtual card which you can add to your digital wallet and use immediately. This removes the stress and inconvenience of having to wait until a physical card arrives in the mail.
Alternatively, you can contact us and we can block your card and arrange a new one for you.
Yes please - our fraud team are monitoring transactions for suspect and unusual activity 24/7.
Log in to your account using the Mobile App and selecting Overseas Travel from the menu.
Then select Your Travel Plans. Record your travel dates, destinations and contact details just in case we need to contact you to confirm any transactions while you are away.
Of course you can always call us on 1800 033 139 or visit your local branch to give us details of your travel plans.