How we keep you safe online
We’re making your online experience as safe as possible, with the help of security features and a dedicated online banking fraud team.
Security features
Our online banking guarantee
Security features of online banking
Our Online Guardian fraud detection system monitors your online banking activity, learns your usual functions and identifies unusual activity. You can learn more about it in the Online Guardian section.
Or read on for more on our prevention and detection safety measures.
Our online banking fraud team
This team spends their time analysing online banking activity, backing up our Online Guardian service.
If you get a call from our online banking fraud team, they’ve been analysing transaction/s that may look suspicious, and will need confirmation from you that the transaction/s on your account/s were made or authorised by you.
What they won’t ask
Our online banking fraud team will never ask you for confirmation of your security details or password. These should not be disclosed to anyone.
Automatic Westpac One logout
If your Westpac One online banking session remains inactive for 10 minutes, you’ll be automatically ‘timed out’.
You should also click on the log out button when you’ve finished your online banking session, so that:
- all pages you visited are removed from the browser's cache
- no one else can click on the ‘back’ button to see your account details if they get on your computer or device.
Security email and text alerts
It’s a great idea to set up security email and text alerts (they’re free), to keep track of your online banking activity, bank account and credit card information. You can only set up alerts in Westpac One, but they’ll still work in response to your activity on Westpac One.
They can tell you:
- when your online banking password changes, or when a login is made to your online banking
- when a change is made to someone you pay online or a new person is added
- when a payment is planned from one of your accounts that is over an amount you choose. This excludes transfers between your accounts and International Payments
- automatic alerts – triggered by certain changes to your online banking or alert settings. These cannot be turned off.
Westpac’s Online Safety Guide
Developed with the assistance of the Internet Safety Group, Westpac’s Online Safety Guide covers what you need to know about keeping your computer secure and yourself safe when you’re online.
The topics you can read about in the Online Safety Guide include:
- getting started online
- banking online
- shopping online
- scams and e-crime
- keeping your family safe.
Read about how you can keep yourself safe online
Our Online Banking Guarantee
At Westpac we’re committed to protecting you from online fraud, and we’re just as committed to preserving the ease and convenience of our online banking services. We’re so confident in our systems and processes that, subject to our General Terms and Conditions *, we make you the following promise:
"If you fall victim to online fraud as a result of using Westpac New Zealand's Online Banking or Business Online Banking (BOL) services, we will investigate your loss and the contributing circumstances and reimburse the fraud losses if you have:
- immediately notified Westpac of your loss, and
- not wilfully, fraudulently or negligently caused or contributed to the loss, and
- complied with the General Terms and conditions* and any other applicable product or services terms and conditions.
Note: This Online Banking Guarantee applies to Westpac One (both desktop and the app) and BOL, but does not extend to Corporate Online or DeskBank services."
If you think you’re a victim of online fraud, contact your nearest Westpac branch immediately to report it. They’ll more than likely ask you to contact the police as well. Once the issue’s been investigated and you are deemed to be the victim of fraud, then you’ll have your money returned.
A caution about people contacting you
Remember, Westpac will never send an email (or phone you) and ask for your password, PIN or bank account details.
Learn about phishing and hoaxes
Note: The Online Banking Guarantee does not extend to Corporate Online or DeskBank services.