Nationwide has introduced a new call checker service designed to help customers protect themselves against fraudsters impersonating staff from the building society, as impersonation scams continue to rise across the UK.
According to Finextra, the launch follows new research from Nationwide which found that the average person in Britain now receives eight scam calls every month, equivalent to around two every week.
Impersonation scams remain one of the most costly forms of fraud, with millions of pounds lost annually as criminals pose as trusted organisations such as banks and building societies.
Nationwide’s own customer data shows that impersonation scams account for 17% of all reported scam cases. While people of all ages are affected, the figures indicate that older customers are disproportionately targeted, with 55% of those impacted being aged over 65. Fraudsters typically rely on urgency, pressure tactics and rehearsed scripts to convince victims that a call is legitimate, often persuading them to move money or share sensitive information.
The new Call Checker service is designed to tackle this growing threat by allowing customers to instantly verify whether a call they are receiving is genuinely from Nationwide. Available through the Nationwide banking app, the feature displays a clear message on screen confirming the status of the call. Customers will either see a message such as “You’re on a call with Alex” or be alerted with “You’re not on a call with us”, giving them immediate clarity.
Call Checker builds on Nationwide’s existing Scam Checker service, which is already used by around 100k people. According to the building society, Scam Checker prevents approximately £300k from being lost to fraud every month, highlighting the role that simple, accessible tools can play in reducing financial crime.
Nationwide said the latest addition reflects its broader focus on consumer protection and economic crime prevention, particularly as fraudsters become more sophisticated and harder to detect. By embedding the verification process directly into its app, the building society aims to remove uncertainty at the moment customers are most vulnerable.
Nationwide director of economic crime Jim Winters said: “Scammers are becoming more sophisticated, and impersonation calls are one of the most common ways they trick people into handing over money. We are programmed to trust people and when someone uses clever tactics and well-practised scripts – often putting us under pressure or making us panic – it can be hard to know who to trust. Our Call Checker feature gives our customers peace of mind by confirming if a call is genuine, or not. It’s a simple and effective step that could prevent someone from becoming the next crime statistic.”
Nationwide expects the service to play an important role in reducing impersonation fraud at scale, particularly among more vulnerable customers, as scam volumes and techniques continue to evolve.
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