Government fights SMS scams with new identity register
The Albanian government is launching the fight against SMS fraudsters with a new mandatory register.
In a statement today (December 3), Communications Minister Michelle Rowland announced the mandatory creation of a Sender Identification Register, which will prevent SMS scams by requiring telecoms operators to verify if the messages sent as a mark come from the registered legitimate sender.
“If the sender ID is not in the register, ACMA will block the SMS or include a warning,” the statement said.
As the press release indicates, SMS messages are the most frequently reported attack vector by fraudsters, who pose as legitimate brands or agencies to trick victims into providing them with personal data, information, etc. identification and financial information.
Fraudsters often impersonate four major banks, service providers like Opal and Linkt and government services like myGov. The registry aims to mitigate these scams, reducing their impact and frequency.
“The SMS Sender Identification Registry is an important tool to protect hard-working Australians from increasingly sophisticated and organized scammers,” Minister Rowland said.
“We have all received scam messages on our phones claiming to be from trusted sources – and it costs Australians millions of dollars every year. This mandatory registry will allow these messages to be blocked or flagged as scams, thereby better protecting consumers against deception.
“In this way, the registry will also help restore trust in communications received from legitimate organizations and make Australia an even more difficult place for fraudsters to exploit.” »
For the registry’s rollout, Rowland will oversee the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in establishing an “enforceable industry standard” that requires telcos to screen text message senders against the registry.
The government hopes to have the register ready by the end of 2025.
The Sender Identification Registry is part of the Government’s $168 million investment to combat fraudsters and joins previous efforts, including the creation of the Scam Prevention Framework and the National Fraud Centre.
In the 2023-24 Federal Budget, the Government allocated $10 million for ACMA’s launch of the register, including its maintenance once it is established.
“Our coordinated approach to protecting Australians from fraudsters is among the most comprehensive in the world, and the register will help strengthen our defenses against criminal fraudsters,” Deputy Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said.
“Scam SMS messages bombard Australians 24/7. The registry will help stop this by disrupting the fraudsters’ business model.
“The government’s crackdown on scams is already showing signs of success, but the work is not finished. We continue to work to ensure Australians have the best protections against these predatory and criminal scams.
