Requisition ID: 274293
Join a purpose driven winning team, committed to results, in an inclusive and high-performing culture.
Purpose
The Client Scam Intervention Specialist is responsible for protecting clients and the Bank by reviewing scam-related alerts and referrals, assessing scam risk, and engaging directly with clients who may be under the influence of a scammer. The analyst uses empathy, active listening, sound judgment, and persuasive communication to help clients recognize manipulation, interrupt the scam, and take appropriate steps to prevent or limit financial loss. The role completes timely case decisions and documentation while delivering a respectful, client-focused experience.
Key Accountabilities
- Champions a customer focused culture to deepen client relationships and leverage broader Bank relationships, systems and knowledge.
- Review and action scam-related alerts and referrals received from Fraud Detection, branches, contact centres, business lines, and other internal partners.
- Assess customer activity, transactional patterns, payment details, account history, and available case information to identify indicators of scam victimization and determine the level of risk.
- Identify indicators of client vulnerability, including age-related, cognitive, language, financial, social-isolation, accessibility, or other factors, and apply enhanced safeguarding and escalation protocols in accordance with Bank policy.
- Recognize behavioural indicators of social engineering, including coercion, secrecy, urgency, grooming, authority exploitation, remote coaching, and scripted responses, and incorporate these indicators into the scam-risk assessment.
- Contact clients promptly to validate activity, understand the circumstances, and determine whether a fraudster is directing, coaching, pressuring, or manipulating the client.
- Use approved communication channels and coordinate with branches or internal partners, where appropriate, to interrupt suspected scam activity and deliver timely prevention messaging.
- Use empathetic and effective questioning, active listening, and influencing techniques to help the client pause, reconsider the transaction, and recognize scam warning signs, commonly referred to as helping the client “break the spell.”
- Provide clear scam education and practical guidance that helps clients protect their accounts, devices, personal information, and future transactions.
- Take or recommend appropriate risk-mitigation actions in accordance with approved authorities, policies, procedures, and escalation requirements.
- Initiate or coordinate payment holds, recalls, recovery efforts, beneficiary reviews, account protections, and specialized escalations where appropriate and within approved authorities.
- Complete accurate and timely case notes that clearly document the investigation, client interaction, decision rationale, actions taken, referrals made, and outcome.
- Manage assigned work within established service levels, queue priorities, quality standards, and productivity expectations.
- Provide a best-in-class client experience by treating clients with dignity and patience, particularly when they are distressed, resistant, embarrassed, or unwilling to accept that they may be involved in a scam.
- Identify emerging scam methods, common narratives, payment destinations, repeat beneficiaries, and other trends, and share observations with leadership and relevant fraud strategy or analytics partners.
- Capture and share actionable intelligence related to suspected scammers, mule accounts, beneficiaries, payment destinations, devices, digital identifiers, scam scripts, and recurring patterns to support broader disruption and detection strategies.
- Collaborate with Fraud Detection, Application Fraud, Investigations, Fraud Strategy, Fraud Analytics, branches, contact centres, and other business partners to support coordinated disruption activities.
- Understand how the Bank’s risk appetite and risk culture should be considered in day-to-day activities and decisions.
- Contribute to effective and efficient operations while maintaining adherence to applicable operational risk, regulatory compliance, AML/ATF, privacy, conduct, and business-control requirements.
- Support continuous improvement by recommending enhancements to alerts, referral criteria, scripts, client education, procedures, training, and reporting.
- Serve as a scam-intervention subject matter resource by sharing best practices, supporting peer coaching, and participating in pilots, testing, readiness activities, and post-implementation feedback for new scam controls and capabilities.
- Maintain current knowledge of scam typologies, including impersonation, investment, romance, tech-support, marketplace, employment, payment-redirection, and other emerging scams, as well as digital scam vectors such as social media, messaging applications, cryptocurrency platforms, remote-access software, online marketplaces, and fraudulent websites.
- Achieve and maintain required service level standards by:
- Operating at optimal efficiency of the department by ensuring productivity goals are attained
- Responding to incoming telephone and written inquiries from customers,
- Communicating with branches and other Bank departments to resolve inquiries relative to fraud issues and/or complaints
- Strictly adhering to schedules thereby ensuring prompt customer service and response time.
- Follow customer problem resolution process to take ownership of customer concern and resolving customer issues at first point of contact.
- Accurately completing fraud reports with all required information to facilitate the expeditious adjudication of fraud file
- Minimize Fraud risk and losses by adhering to Scotiabank’s policy, procedures and key controls;
Prioritize and process customer requests (i.e. inquiries, transactions, case work) in a timely and efficient manner
Key Competencies/Dimensions
- Strong communication skills in English (French would be considered an asset)
- Flexibility required with business hours
- Utilization of active listening skills and appropriate acknowledgment statements
- Capability to build customer loyalty through listening, relationship building, and professional and persuasive communication skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced, changing environment
- Ability to navigate between multiple Windows-based application system
- Critical thinking and sound decisions are required to maintain an acceptable balance between fraud control and customer service
- Maintain exceptional knowledge and understanding of all procedures, products and services related to role.
- The complexity of alerted accounts varies in nature as the fraud landscape changes – from fraud trends/tactics that are known with minimum risk and little complexity to those with higher risk, complexity and discovered to be new/emerging fraud trend/tactic
- Strong attention to detail with the ability to recognize risk and take appropriate steps to minimize the impact on both the customer and the Bank
- Demonstrated ability to identify behavioural and situational indicators of manipulation, coercion, grooming, secrecy, urgency, and active coaching by a scammer
- Ability to adapt intervention techniques to the client’s circumstances, level of vulnerability, communication needs, and willingness to accept assistance, while preserving dignity and autonomy
- Capability to build customer loyalty through listening, relationship building, professional and persuasive communication skills
- Achieve/exceed daily/weekly individual and team KPIs
- Supports Canadian Banking clients and business lines through scam alert and referral management.
- Key measures may include fraud dollars prevented, scam interruption and client save rates, recovery outcomes, alert and referral productivity, service-level adherence, quality and escalation accuracy, documentation accuracy, client experience, referral quality, and fraud-intelligence contributions.
Education / Experience / Other Information
- Post-secondary education in business, criminology, psychology, communications, financial services, risk management, or a related discipline is preferred, or an equivalent combination of education and experience.
- Experience in fraud detection, scam prevention, financial crime, investigations, banking operations, client service, or a contact-centre environment is preferred.
- Experience applying scam-intervention, de-escalation, vulnerable-client safeguarding, or persuasive communication techniques is preferred.
- Demonstrated ability to manage sensitive client conversations, build trust, de-escalate resistance, and influence decisions without compromising client dignity or autonomy.
- Strong analytical and investigative skills, with the ability to gather information, identify inconsistencies, assess risk, and make timely decisions.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills in English; French is considered an asset.
- Strong judgment, critical thinking, organization, prioritization, and attention to detail.
- Ability to remain composed and effective when clients are distressed, emotionally invested, resistant to advice, or being actively coached by a scammer.
- Knowledge of common and emerging scam typologies, digital banking risks, payment methods, social-engineering techniques, and fraud-prevention controls is an asset.
- Ability to learn and use fraud monitoring, case-management, client-information, payment, and communication systems.
- Customer service experience; demonstrated commitment to providing quality customer service
- Capability to build customer loyalty through listening, relationship building, and professional and persuasive communication skills
- Ability to work in a fast-paced environment
- Working knowledge of the application systems that support debit/credit card and alternate delivery channel products including CIS, MV, KS, AS400, TSYS, ScotiaGlobe, Image, etc.
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Office applications
Working Conditions
- Fraud operations may require coverage outside standard business hours, including evenings, weekends, and statutory holidays, based on the operating model and business needs.
- Work is performed in a fast-paced environment with frequent interruptions and changing priorities driven by scam trends, alert volumes, referrals, and urgent client situations.
- The role involves regular contact with clients, the position requires the use of a headset.
- Client conversations may involve sensitive, stressful, or emotionally charged circumstances.
- A high degree of flexibility is required to adapt to evolving scam typologies, procedures, systems, controls, and operational priorities.
- Work in a standard office-based environment; non-standard hours are a common occurrence.
- Work is subject to frequent interruptions contributing to a lack of control over the pace of work. Cardholder issues tend to be very sensitive and emotional therefore stressful in nature.
- The incumbent’s desk is located close to co-workers and is subject to constant noise.
Location(s): Canada : Ontario : Scarborough
Scotiabank is a leading bank in the Americas. Guided by our purpose: "for every future", we help our customers, their families and their communities achieve success through a broad range of advice, products and services, including personal and commercial banking, wealth management and private banking, corporate and investment banking, and capital markets.
At Scotiabank, we value the unique skills and experiences each individual brings to the Bank, and are committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and accessible environment for everyone. If you require accommodation (including, but not limited to, an accessible interview site, alternate format documents, ASL Interpreter, or Assistive Technology) during the recruitment and selection process, please let our Recruitment team know. If you require technical assistance, please click here. Candidates must apply directly online to be considered for this role. We thank all applicants for their interest in a career at Scotiabank; however, only those candidates who are selected for an interview will be contacted.
