Doubling down on safety in the bush

CommBank doubles the number of free seminars to help more regional Australians stay safe from scams and fraud.

CommBank is offering regional Australians access to more than 400 “Staying Safe Online” education sessions over the next 12 months, doubling the current number. CommBank’s branch teams across regional Australia host these free in-person seminars to help communities better identify potential scams and empower people with the knowledge and tools to stay safe online.

CommBank also plans to partner with local community groups across regional Australia to expand the program’s accessibility and awareness to more members of the community. In addition to running the free sessions in hundreds of regional branches, the Bank plans to deliver them in clubs, community centres, and other venues in regional towns, allowing more people to attend regardless of who they bank with.

The significant expansion of the “Staying Safe Online” seminars in regional Australia is another measure CommBank is taking to combat scams and fraud. During FY24, the Bank invested over $800 million to protect customers against fraud, scams, financial, and cybercrime, and customer losses to scams halved over the year.

Mark Jones, Executive General Manager Customer Service Network said “CBA has a strong commitment to regional Australia. As the bank with the largest branch network in the country, we can leverage our scale to help more regional Australians stay safe online, and by partnering with other regional service providers we can multiply this impact.

“We are doubling the number of free Staying Safe Online seminars in the regions to more than one a day, and we will deliver them not just in our branches but in a wider range of venues so we can help more Australians safely navigate today’s increasingly digitised world,” Mr Jones said.

CBA’s one-hour “Staying Safe Online” seminars cover a range of topics and practical tips, including how to recognise and avoid common online scams, protect personal information, and understand the latest tactics used by cybercriminals. They form part of CBA’s wider financial well-being seminar program, which covers 10 other topics, such as Cyber Security for Small Business and Financial Wellbeing for Women. Over the past five years, more than 3,350 seminars have been delivered across Australia.

CBA encourages all regional Australians to take advantage of these free seminars. To learn more and register for an upcoming session, visit the CommBank website.