Banks turn to voice recognition to keep fraudsters at bay

TELEPHONE banking passcodes will be consigned to history as banks start using voice recognition technology instead.

It means customers will no longer need to remember and key in security numbers when accessing telephone banking.

Some Santander customers have already been given the option of verifying their identity through technology that recognises their voice and where they are calling from, but the technology will be rolled out to all customers in June. The move is the latest in a series of efforts by banks to improve security and customer experience through new technology. Earlier this week, Natwest launched biometric bank cards, which use fingerprint recognition instead of PINS.

Santander is using “Phone ID” and biometric “Voice ID” technology to make the changes, which mean customers will no longer be required to key in any personal identity or security numbers to complete telephone authentication.

Under the new system, customers will need to call from a phone number that is uniquely registered to them, such as their mobile phone, then they will have to complete the authentication process through the Voice ID system, which analyses over 100 characteristics of the voice.

Santander said the technology was sophisticated enough that it could even detect a recording of someone’s voice being played over the telephone.

Once customers have been authenticated, they can be routed directly to the relevant team, eliminating the need to key in an option.

Reza Attar-zadeh, head of customer interactions at Santander UK, said: “The human voice contains over 100 voice characteristics we can use to ensure that a caller is who they say they are, further protecting our customers’ accounts from fraudsters.”