ANZ Bank has introduced a new security feature called Digital Padlock, enabling customers to instantly lock down their accounts if they suspect unauthorized access or scam attempts. Launched in August 2025, the feature is available across ANZ App, ANZ Internet Banking, and ANZ Plus App platforms, with a business version planned for release. The development comes as ANZ continues its broader digital security transformation, which includes plans to implement passwordless authentication across its platforms by mid-2025.
Digital Padlock serves as a last-resort security measure that, when activated, immediately locks digital access to customer accounts, blocks eligible banking cards, and secures banking services. Account access can only be restored after direct contact with ANZ and verification of account security. The feature follows similar security initiatives across Australia’s banking sector, where institutions like NAB are implementing enhanced security measures to protect customers from emerging digital threats.
“When a scam hits, every second counts. Digital Padlock lets customers shut things down immediately, providing real-time support in a stressful situation,” said Melissa Hendrickson, ANZ Fraud and Scams Lead. “It’s like locking your front door when something doesn’t feel right – simple, fast, and reassuring.”
The implementation of Digital Padlock is part of ANZ’s comprehensive scam prevention strategy. Between October 2024 and June 2025, the bank reported a 15 percent reduction in customer financial losses from scam activity compared to the previous year. During this period, ANZ prevented or recovered over $100 million in scam and fraud-related funds, while their First Responders team resolved 93 percent of scam-related calls at first contact, managing nearly 150,000 calls.
ANZ has implemented additional security measures alongside Digital Padlock. The Confirmation of Payee service, deployed across Australia, helps customers verify payee details before completing transactions, resulting in over 140,000 payments being abandoned after mismatch alerts. The service mirrors successful anti-fraud initiatives in other regions, such as Singapore’s banking sector, which has demonstrated significant success in fraud prevention. CallSafe, launched in November 2024, provides secure authentication for customer calls before discussing sensitive information.
“We’re proud that our detection teams are intercepting threats faster than ever, and that our customers are becoming increasingly aware of how to protect themselves,” said Shaq Johnson, ANZ’s head of customer protection.
Sources: The Digital Banker, ANZ Newsroom, Finextra, FStech, Mirage News
