Purchasing scams could be a thing of the past thanks to the newly launched AI-powered tool from Starling Bank.
Scam Intelligence is a built-in tool within the Starling Bank app which assists customers in spotting purchase-related scams.
It is the first of its kind in the whole of the UK, allowing customers to upload images of items, marketplace ads, and even messages from sellers for the tool to analyse.
This tool was modelled on Google’s Gemini models in collaboration with Google Cloud and provides customers with personalised guides in a matter of seconds by analysing content for signs of potentially fraudulent activity.
In 2024 alone, the Authorised Push Payment (APP) scam had contributed to £450 million lost to fraud in the UK. With the new Scam Intelligence tool, this fraud can now be intercepted.
How does it do this? Well, first and foremost, customers upload an item listing or the image of an item itself from an online marketplace. Even a screenshot of a conversation with the suspected scammer asking for a money transfer would work.
By using Google’s Gemini models, the context of the image and text is analysed, and then Starling Bank’s own proprietary systems will give the customer a risk assessment. With this analysis, customers are more capable and equipped to make informed decisions concerning their purchases while also learning about the potential patterns of scams and fraud.
This tool is Starling Bank’s second AI-powered tool available for customer use, following Spending Intelligence. Starling also doesn’t impose mandatory use of this tool and all the data collected by this tool is securely stored in Starling’s Google Cloud and will not be utilised for training purposes.
