Displaying items by tag: SMS scams

The Albanese Labor government of Australia plans to implement a mandatory SMS Sender ID Register, claiming it will enable it to crack down on SMS scams.

Around 50,000 messages have been received by Telstra's scam SMS and MMS reporting number.

The telecommunications industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), has taken action against a number of telcos after compliance failures were used by scammers to send SMS road toll, Medicare and Australia Post impersonation scams to consumers.

GUEST OPINION Modica, a company that says it specialises in “high volume, enterprise messaging solutions”, is the first to breach Australia’s new anti-SMS scam rules.

New rules developed by the Australian Communications and Media Authority in conjunction with industry body Communications Alliance require telcos to identify, trace and block SMS scams.

Phone calls were the most common contact method used by scammers to target victims in 2021, while text messages were the second-highest contact method used by scammers.

Telecommunications industry regulator the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will focus on combating SMS and identity theft phone scams as part of its compliance priorities for 2022–23.