In a significant win for Australians fed up with the onslaught of fake, deceptive and damaging text message scams, the SMS Sender ID Register will be made mandatory.
ACCAN, Australia's peak communications consumer group, have been calling for the Federal Government to implement a mandatory register throughout 2024. The Register will help consumers more easily determine whether a text message is a scam or legitimate notification from businesses, service providers and government.
Today's announcement from Communications Minister Michelle Rowland and Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones that a mandatory SMS register will be implemented and maintained by the ACMA was welcomed by ACCAN CEO Carol Bennett as a vital step forward in the fight against scams.
"Consumers have been highlighting the importance of a mandatory Register, similar to international models, for some time," Ms Bennett said.
"The dual benefits of this Register are to reduce the amount of scam SMS' that consumers receive, while also boosting trust in genuine marketing and communications SMS' from businesses."
"Through important legislative reforms and the collaborative work of the National Anti-Scam Centre, reported scam losses are dropping. Text messages are the most common contact method used by scammers, and the mandatory Register will help to stem consumers losses even further."
"We encourage the Government and ACMA to work towards establishing the Register as soon as practicable. The sooner it is in place, the quicker Australians will see the benefits."
"And most importantly, ACCAN looks forward to seeing a reduction in scam contacts, consumer losses and trauma as a result of the implementation of the Register."
"We thank Ministers Rowland and Jones for their leadership in this important area," Ms Bennett said.
About us:
The Australian Communications Consumer Action Network (ACCAN) is Australia's peak communication consumer organisation. The operation of ACCAN is made possible by funding provided by the Commonwealth of Australia under section 593 of the Telecommunications Act 1997. This funding is recovered from charges on telecommunications carriers.
