In an effort to make digital banking safer for customers , Westpac will no longer allow messages containing abusive language in transaction descriptions to be sent.
“It is shocking that individuals are using real-time payment transactions to harass and threaten others, often bypassing blocks on other channels, such as SMS and social media, to reach the recipient,” said Lisa Pogonoski, general manager of customer solutions at Westpac.
"We want to create a safer digital banking experience for our customers and send a clear message that abusive messages in payment transactions will not be tolerated."
As Pogonoski stated, in recent months Westpac has identified more than 2,500 transactions containing terms that could be considered inappropriate, from swear words to threats of domestic violence.
The new measures announced by the bank include enabling customers to report abusive messages and blocking inappropriate language from outgoing payments.
"The changes have been introduced in response to the growing issue of digital payment channels being used as alternative messaging services to send abuse and threats via the description and report fields in payment transactions," Westpac said on Tuesday
For incoming payments, the bank will roll out a new tool that will allow customers to report abuse and harassment sent in the description of the payment transaction. This will be done by clicking a report button on platforms to flag offensive messages and send them to a dedicated team for review and action.
Westpac said that during the review process, it would consider further anti-abuse measures, such as warning the customer or notifying the sender's financial institution.
The bank has also developed technology to monitor outgoing payments sent through its online and mobile platforms, which blocks certain transactions containing inappropriate or offensive language in real time.
Customers will be notified if their outgoing transaction contains inappropriate language from a defined list of terms and their payment will be aborted. The language will need to be removed for the payment to be accepted and processed.
Individuals who do not act in accordance with Westpac's policy on acceptable conduct will be notified and, if necessary, removed from the bank.
