The Australian government is taking action against SMS scammers by considering a mandatory registry for senders of text messages. This action is in response to the fact that more than half of all scams in Australia originate from text messages. Sender IDs would need to be disclosed to consumers, enhancing transparency and identification. This is important because scammers often use fraudulent message headers to pretend to be legitimate companies or government entities.
In response to significant losses to scammers, a registry would be created to list approved phone numbers for registered brand names. Text messages using these registered brand names would only be sent if the originating number matches the approved phone number on the registry. The government is taking initiatives to address the issue and reduce the financial impact of scams. The Australian Communications and Media Authority will receive $10 million over four years to launch and maintain the registry. Furthermore, losses to scams have already been reduced by 29 percent since the establishment of the National Anti-Scams Centre, showcasing the effectiveness of these measures.
A significant part of this initiative is consultation with various stakeholders, including businesses, charities, and government services. Proposal feedback will help inform decisions on whether the registry should be mandatory. Some demographic groups are more vulnerable to scams, including older Australians, Indigenous Australians, people with English as a second language, and people with disabilities. These groups have collectively suffered significant losses due to various types of scams, which highlights the importance of taking action. The consultation for these proposals is open until March 20.
These actions aim to protect Australian consumers and reduce the financial impact of SMS scams, signaling a step forward in addressing this issue.