News

Scams on the rise

As we begin a new financial year here is a very timely reminder to beware of scams.

Unfortunately scammers are becoming more and more sophisticated with the types of messages that can be sent to an unsuspecting recipient. These include emails, sms, and phone calls (often pre-recorded messages) that seem very realistic.

Remember Australian Military Bank will never ask for your banking passwords or card details via email or phone, or send links to Internet Banking. You should not provide these details, or any One Time Passcode we send you, to any third parties.

Current alerts

Computer takeover scam

Also known as remote access scams, the scammer may pretend to be from well-known organisations such as banks, government organisations, police, and computer and IT support organisations. They create a sense of urgency to make you give them access to your computer via remote access software. If you receive this type of call that cannot be verified by other means hang up.

ATO scams

You may receive messages regarding refunds or demands for payments. Never give out your personal information to anyone over the phone or via sms or email if the message is unsolicited.

Business Email Compromise (BEC)

Business email compromise is when criminals use email to abuse trust in business processes to scam organisations and individuals out of money or goods. Criminals can impersonate business representatives using similar names, domains and/or fraudulent logos as a legitimate organisation or by using compromised email accounts.

Please be scam aware and make sure you check out the latest warnings on the ATO website here https://www.ato.gov.au/General/Online-services/Identity-security/Scam-alerts or the ScamWatch website here https://www.scamwatch.gov.au/

Welcome To The July Issue Of Communiqué

We have come to the end of another financial year, a year that challenged not only your Bank but the world to adapt to an unprecedented environment. Your Bank has navigated this challenging period and is emerging in a strong position to continue to support members.

In mid-April we welcomed the Government announcement regarding the high rates of suicide in the Veteran community and in this regard, we would like to acknowledge the significance of the ongoing work our charity partners; Soldier On, Mates4Mates, Legacy and RSL DefenceCare do in assisting Veterans and their families, especially as they transition into life after service.

In this issue we recognise Legacy and are proud to have matched member contributions from the Military Rewards Account ‘cents gifting’ initiative, having donated over $86,500 to Legacy, since account inception.

Over this past year we have continued to improve on our competitive products for the Defence Community, with particular interest from first home buyers and those looking for personal loans. We were honoured to have had our personal loan be the award winner of Finder’s best Personal Loan in the risk-based category for 2020 and 2021 and Rate City’s Gold Excellent Credit Personal Loan for 2020.

On behalf of the Board, I would like to thank our members for their continuous loyalty to the Bank.

John Brooks 
Chair

 

Read full edition here or read the individual stories below:

• CEO Message July 2021
• Watch out for Scams
• Member - in Focus
• Military Rewards Charity in Profile: Legacy

 

Increase in scam activity

We have recently seen a spike in scams affecting the community. Recent scams include being contacted primarily by phone or email by someone claiming to be from a known organisation such as a bank, internet/telephone service provider, or government agency. The scammer will generally request you to download software or share access to your computer.

Australian Military Bank will never:

• ask for your Internet Banking login details or card details via phone or email
• use email to send you a link to an Internet Banking login page
• ask you to communicate your passwords to us in any form.

Be aware of scams and keep updated with the latest information from Scamwatch or on our Security and Fraud page here.

If you believe you have been targeted by a scam please contact us immediately on 1300 13 23 28.

New SMS feature for fraudulent card transactions.

We constantly monitor transactions to identify fraud, ensuring your accounts are secure and protected. If we see a potentially high risk fraudulent transaction on your card you will receive a phone call from us. We have also now launched a SMS feature for lower risk transactions.

The SMS will always contain the date and time of the transaction and the last 4 digits of your card. 

If you receive an SMS that contains the above details, simply respond to the SMS to confirm with either YES or NO. If you respond YES to confirm the transaction was legitimate no restrictions will be placed on your card, if you respond NO a member of our team will contact you as soon as possible.

AMB responds to AUSTRAC statement

Please click here for the full press release.

Australian Military Bank welcomes action on Veteran suicide in Australia

Australian Military Bank welcomes the announcement from the Australian Government regarding the high rates of suicide within the Veteran community and looks forward to seeing tangible outcomes for impacted Australians who serve our country and their families.

Read our full Media Release here.

Anzac Day Public Holiday Branch Opening Hours

Members, please be advised that our branches (except NSW & VIC) will be closed Monday 26 April for the ANZAC Day Public Holiday.

Our Member Contact Centre will be available from 8am - 6pm (AEST) on 1300 13 23 28. Alternatively, you can email us at service@australianmilitarybank.com.au.

Welcome To The April Issue Of Communiqué

"ANZAC Day is almost upon us and we will remember all those servicemen and servicewomen who served and died and the contribution and suffering of all those who have served. Lest we forget."

A whole year has passed since COVID-19 disrupted us all in our day to day lives. This also impacted on how we acknowledged and paid tribute during Anzac Day in a very different way.

Over the past year, Defence personnel were tasked with operation COVID-19 ASSIST, and we thank all of those Defence personnel for your support and service during this difficult year.

We have continued to support the Defence community over this past year and through the Military Rewards Account have continued to assist our Charity Partners. Since account inception, over $230,000 has been donated to our charity partners Soldier On, Mates4Mates, RSL DefenceCare and Legacy Australia.

In this issue we highlight the success of Soldier On’s campaign – ‘March On’. This campaign is supporting raising money through sponsorship to walk 96km as individuals or in teams, in the month of March. 96km is the length of the Kokoda Trail, the track that was the location for the 1942 World War II campaign. Many of our staff have taken part in fundraising for the challenge and have raised over $14,500 for our charity partner.

On behalf of the Board, I would like to extend our appreciation to our members for their continuous support of Australian Military Bank.

John Brooks 

Chair

 

Read full edition here or read the individual stories below:

• International Women’s Day: Stacey
• Military Rewards Charity in Profile: Soldier On
• Supporting the Defence Community