TLDR: Starling Bank has introduced a new AI-powered tool, ‘Scam Intelligence,’ designed to help customers identify and prevent purchase scams on online marketplaces. Built using Google’s Gemini generative AI model, the tool allows users to upload images and messages from sellers for real-time fraud analysis and personalized guidance. During testing, it significantly increased the rate at which customers canceled suspicious payments.
Starling Bank, a leading digital bank in the UK, has launched an innovative artificial intelligence (AI) tool named ‘Scam Intelligence’ to empower its customers in the fight against online purchase scams. This new feature, hailed as a ‘UK-first’ by the bank, leverages Google’s generative AI model, Gemini, to analyze images, listings, and messages from online marketplace sellers for potential signs of fraud. The tool then provides personalized guidance to customers, helping them determine the safety of a purchase before proceeding.
The introduction of ‘Scam Intelligence’ comes at a critical time, as recent data from UK Finance revealed a 12% increase in authorized push payment (APP) fraud in the first half of 2025, amounting to a staggering £275.5 million. The average loss for a purchase scam was reported to be £661.
Customers can upload screenshots of items, such as a bike listed on Facebook Marketplace, to the tool within the Starling app. The AI will then scrutinize various elements, flagging potential risks like prices that appear ‘too good to be true,’ non-genuine images, or bank account details that do not match the seller’s identity. It can also detect if a seller is pressuring the buyer for quick fund transfers or refusing to use secure payment features offered by the platform.
During its testing phase, ‘Scam Intelligence’ demonstrated remarkable effectiveness, leading to a 300% increase in the rate at which customers canceled marketplace payments. This suggests a significant improvement in customers’ ability to pause and reflect before falling victim to fraud. The bank anticipates the tool will be able to spot 90% of ‘scam indicators’ in an image.
Harriet Rees, Starling’s Chief Information Officer, emphasized the importance of this development, stating, ‘With Scam Intelligence, Starling customers can better protect themselves from scams, and learn more about the warning signs too. Knowledge is power when it comes to managing and protecting your money, and we believe AI is giving our customers exactly that.’
The tool has also received praise from Lord Hanson, the UK’s Minister for Fraud, who commended it as ‘a brilliant example of how industry can deploy AI to help us stay one step ahead of fraudsters.’ The ‘Scam Intelligence’ feature is available to both personal and business account customers and was unveiled at a fintech event in Las Vegas.
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This initiative marks Starling Bank’s continued commitment to leveraging AI for enhanced customer protection, following previous innovations in cybersecurity, fraud prevention, and customer service.
