The Royal Bank of Scotland (RBS) is extending its use of behavioural biometrics – the practice of analysing your online interaction in real time – to combat fraud.
RBS started testing the technology two years ago on private banking accounts for wealthy customers. It is now expanding the system to its 18.7m business and retail accounts, according to a report in The New York Times.
“When clients log in to their Royal Bank of Scotland accounts, software begins recording more than 2,000 different interactive gestures,” reports Stacey Cowley.
“On phones, it measures the angle at which people hold their devices, the fingers they use to swipe and tap, the pressure they apply and how quickly they scroll.
“On a computer, the software records the rhythm of their keystrokes and the way they wiggle their mouse.”
When you’re browsing a website and the mouse cursor disappears, it might be a computer glitch – or it might be a deliberate test to find out who you are, writes Cowley.
“The way you press, scroll and type on a phone screen or keyboard can be as unique as your fingerprints or facial features. To fight fraud, a growing number of banks and merchants are tracking visitors’ physical movements as they use websites and apps.
“Some use the technology only to weed out automated attacks and suspicious transactions, but others are going significantly further, amassing tens of millions of profiles that can identify customers by how they touch, hold and tap their devices.
“The data collection is invisible to those being watched. Using sensors in your phone or code on websites, companies can gather thousands of data points, known as “behavioral biometrics,” to help prove whether a digital user is actually the person she claims to be.”
RBS is using software designed by a New York company, BioCatch. It builds a profile on each person’s gestures, which is then compared against the customer’s movements every time they return. The system can detect impostors with 99% accuracy, according to BioCatch.
Recently, its software picked up unusual signals coming from a wealthy customer’s account; after logging in, the visitor used the mouse’s scroll wheel, something the customer had never done before.
Then the visitor typed on the numerical strip at the top of a keyboard, not the side number pad the customer typically used. Detecting this unusual behaviour, the system blocked funds from leaving the customer’s account.
An investigation later found that the account had been hacked. “Someone was trying to set up a new payee and transfer a seven-figure sum,” said Kevin Hanley, RBS’s director of innovation. “We were able to intervene in real time and stop that from happening.”
Related posts
Interviews
Comment
Why innovation and marketing are the perfect partners to make changes that matter
With the rapid evolution of traditional marketing and the appearance of digital marketing, technology and innovation has become part of any marketer’s life without the need of working for a…
Transitioning to a four-day week – CEO’s vow to strike a healthier balance in the workplace
I came to Scotland nearly 20 years ago from Ireland, with no contacts but a lot of determination. While Ireland will always be my home, Scotland has given me amazing…
Women Lead: The female-led company championing intuitive working
Over the last two years, the pandemic forced a shift to more remote and flexible working practices. Whilst we might be seeing a “return to normal”, some companies are choosing…
Women Lead: My passion for young people to consider a career in digital
Twenty years ago, I stumbled across my career in digital marketing almost by accident. It was during my honours degree in marketing at Glasgow Caledonian University. I was on work…
Women Lead: Inclusive Silicon Valley cohort gives hope to entrepreneurs from diverse backgrounds
Things are happening on the Scottish tech scene. Big and small initiatives are creating a fantastic ripple effect on the sector, bottom up and top down, thanks to the recommendations…
Women Lead: The story of an entrepreneurial scientist
I first arrived in Scotland over 20 years ago. I had £75 in my wallet and a scholarship offer to do a PhD at the University of Edinburgh. Sometimes I…
Please mind the gap… or healthcare may fall
Imagine sharing a lengthy train journey with others. From beginning to end, imagine how often you might hear ‘mind the gap’ messages about embarking and disembarking safely. Picture how navigating…
Women Lead: My journey from Dragons’ Den to Silicon Valley
Following her appearance on Dragons’ Den, Sheila Hogan, serial entrepreneur, founder and chief executive of digital legacy vault, Biscuit Tin, shares her experience of her time in the Den and…