In an era where our financial lives are increasingly managed through the tap of a screen or the click of a mouse, the reliability of digital banking services is more crucial than ever.

However, when National Australia Bank (NAB) customers were met with a crippling outage that took down online and mobile banking services this past Monday, it was more than just an inconvenience—it was a reminder of our vulnerability in the digital age.

The outage left many customers unable to access their accounts, make payments, or conduct any form of online banking.

Many immediately feared that this could result from a cyberattack, which is becoming all too common in our interconnected world.

However, NAB was quick to quell these fears. The bank released a statement on Tuesday clarifying that the outage was due to a technology issue, not malicious cyber activity.

NAB outage, caused by a technical issue, not a cyberattack, affected internet and mobile banking. Credit: Shutterstock

‘NAB experienced a technology issue yesterday that impacted internet banking and the app. This issue is now fixed. This was not a result of any external cyber event to the bank,’ a spokesperson stated.

‘We’re sorry for the inconvenience this caused.’

While the outage was not a cyberattack, it is a timely reminder of the constant barrage of scams and fraudulent activities targeting bank customers.

NAB has proactively warned its customers about the rise in scams, particularly those aimed at travellers. Accommodation and ticket scams have seen a significant spike.

Cybersecurity expert Susan McLean discussed the issue during an appearance on Sunrise, emphasising the need for continued vigilance.

She pointed out that the banking industry increasingly views fraudulent transfers as a customer's responsibility.

‘I know the banks work on “if you’ve sent it, clicked on the link, and haven’t checked, it’s your responsibility”. So, I think we need to do a lot with educating adults, in particular,’ McLean said.

‘We need people to understand that they should regularly check their statements, they should regularly check their bank balances, just to make sure nothing untoward is happening.’

She also touched on the myriad ways scammers attempt to deceive individuals.

‘Those text messages, I get them all the time, something in the post, unclaimed reward, Qantas Rewards, Flyby Rewards, click here. We need consistently better education for adults,’ McLean explained.

‘These things simply are scams — they are not real. Educate yourself to visit the website Scamwatch, which lists the most current scams.’

In related news, NAB bank customers faced similar frustrating service outages last year, including ATMs swallowing cards and the inability to access online accounts.

The bank acknowledged the issues affecting services such as the mobile app, internet banking, and NAB Connect and apologised for the inconvenience. Read more about this news here.

Key Takeaways

• NAB experienced an outage affecting internet and mobile banking, which was caused by a technical issue rather than a cyberattack.
• Customers have been reminded to remain vigilant as scammers continue to target them with various online tactics, including accommodation and ticket scams.
• Cybersecurity expert Susan McLean emphasised the importance of consumer education and personal responsibility when checking bank statements and balances.
• The importance of consistent and better education to recognise scams is highlighted, with an encouragement to visit resources like Scamwatch to stay informed about current scams.

Have you encountered any suspicious activity or scams recently? How do you ensure your banking is safe? Your insights could be invaluable to fellow members. Feel free to share them in the comments below.

 

[mabbitt10]

And that’s why we always have a little bit of cash available

 

[Bob Patterson]

Once we only had to wach out for pickpockets , Now we need to be on the lookout for internet thieves;
But to add insult they wont us to go cashless, what do they think we are flipping stupid?

 

[DLHM]

Banks and technology…dangerous and deceptive.

 

[gollywog]

All the more reason to keep 'cash alive' , it's not bloody rocket science

 

[Bob Patterson]

All the more reason to keep 'cash alive' , it's not bloody rocket science

You got that rite-good on you.

 

[Luckyus]

Tell me again how much better a cashless digital society is against using CASH?

 

[Rob44]

Once we only had to wach out for pickpockets , Now we need to be on the lookout for internet thieves;
But to add insult they wont us to go cashless, what do they think we are flipping stupid?

They KNOW we are stupid. That's why we use credit cars for their convenience and profits and buy expensive mobile phones with built-in obsolescence through which we get scammed.

QED

 

[MaccaMan]

Has anyone noticed this is happening with almost EVERY bank, EVERY telco, and more. Has this to do with their upgrades (they all have 3rd party providers now for data mining purposes). Time to burn the phones...

 

[Towing]

ATM machines can be shut down by a power failure too. Then they won't operate until staff re-activate the system. I found out because I wanted to withdraw funds to buy something special from a warehouse on a Saturday. It was before Cards were commonly used in shops

 

[Bezz]

This is the reason why we cannot have a cashless society.

 

[Jan Purcell]

Thats one reason we must still have cash.

 

[Macarj]

I have just gone back to drawing cash out and I use cash everywhere now

 

[Jan Purcell]

Might be better to pull out our money from the banks and put it in a safe.

 

[Hollingworthlake]

I am being regularly subjected to scam phone calls anxious to involve me in one thing or another. I consistently block their number and delete and report scam where I can. However the calls haven’t stopped and I’m not now answering calls that are not announced from my contacts. But this means maybe there are calls I may need. Very annoying