National Australia Bank Blocks Transactions with ‘High-Risk’ Crypto Exchanges

Key Points:

• National Australia Bank (NAB) blocked payments to high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges to protect customers from scams.
• NAB stopped over A$270 million worth of payments that raised scam concerns between March and July, with nearly 50% of scam funds reported to the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange linked to cryptocurrency.
• NAB’s recent actions demonstrate its commitment to protecting customers from high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges and combating crypto-related scams in Australia.

National Australia Bank (NAB) recently announced that it has taken steps to protect its customers from high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges.

In a statement released on Monday, National Australia Bank stated that it has intervened in over A$270 million ($183.8 million) worth of payments that raised scam concerns between March and July. Despite not disclosing how many of these alerts were triggered by crypto-related scams, NAB has blocked some payments to high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges.

To ensure its customer’s safety, National Australia Bank has employed a variety of measures, including introducing payment prompts, taking action on spoofing, and stopping the use of links in unexpected text messages. In addition, the bank has taken action to block some payments to high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges. While NAB did not detail the specific exchanges involved, the bank noted that Australians lost over A$221 million ($150.5 million) last year due to crypto-related scams.

NAB’s decision to block payments to high-risk cryptocurrency exchanges follows similar moves by other Australian banks. Last month, the Commonwealth Bank of Australia also took measures to limit its customers’ ability to send money to crypto exchanges due to crypto-related scams.

According to NAB, nearly 50% of scam funds reported to the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange were linked to cryptocurrency in a recent 30-day period. Chris Sheehan, NAB Executive for Group Investigations and Fraud, stated that “these scammers are part of organized, transnational crime groups. Increasingly, we’re seeing them use cryptocurrency platforms to send stolen funds quickly and often overseas.”

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