“Scams are a scourge of our increasingly online presence,” Mr Sheridan said.
“The new code sets out a framework for industry to work with each other and relevant government agencies to identify and reduce scam calls and scam SMS.”
No ‘silver bullet’ to stop scams
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) ScamWatch website, text scams have led to the theft of more than $9.1 million so far this year. There were 32,700 text scams reported to the regulator as well.
Phone call scams, on the other hand, have stolen $68.9 million and the ACCC has received 33,400 reports.
ACMA chairwoman Nerida O’Loughlin said the scams had “devastating” tolls on their victims and were “deeply frustrating” as they were received on devices that were part of the daily life for most Australians.
“There is no silver bullet to stop scams, but we know enforceable laws can have a significant impact and every blocked scam is a win for consumers. The harder we make it for scammers, the less Australians are likely to be targeted,” she said.
Ms O’Loughlin said the predecessor code from 2020 had helped block 549 million scam calls, and she hoped the addition of scam texts to this standard would have a similar effect.
ACMA also has the ability to fine telcos up to $250,000 if they fail to comply with the code.
TPG executive James Rickards said the new code was a good step forward, but “untrustworthy traffic could be further reduced if the industry stopped…
