The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has been working tirelessly to combat scams, spam, and telemarketing in Australia. In the October to December 2022 period, the ACMA has taken a range of actions to protect Australians from these types of activities.
Scams continue to be a major problem in Australia, with reports to the ACMA increasing by 8% in the last quarter. The most common types of scams reported were investment scams, phishing scams, and romance scams. To combat these scams, the ACMA has been working closely with other government agencies, telecommunications providers, and financial institutions.
One of the key actions taken by the ACMA during this period was the blocking of 34 websites associated with investment scams. These websites were found to be promoting fraudulent investment opportunities, and were targeting Australian investors. By blocking these sites, the ACMA is helping to prevent Australians from falling victim to these scams.
Key Actions
Telcos blocked over 155 million scam calls and over 40 million scam SMS in the quarter. This brings the total to 955 million scam calls blocked (since December 2020) and 90 million scam SMS blocked (since July 2022).
Investbybit Pty Ltd penalised $2 million for breaches of the Spam Act. Businesses have paid $6.3 million in penalties for breaching spam and telemarketing rules in the last 18 months.
Telco Circles.Life penalised $200,000 and offered compensation of over $100,000 to its consumers after failing to have multifactor ID checks in place to prevent scammers accessing mobile accounts.
The ACMA has also been working to raise awareness of scams, by launching a new campaign aimed at young people. The campaign, called "Scam Savvy", encourages young people to be cautious when sharing personal information online, and to be aware of the signs of scams. The campaign includes a series of videos and social media posts, and has been widely shared on social media platforms.
Spam continues to be a major problem in Australia, with the ACMA receiving over 18,000 reports of spam in the last quarter alone. To combat spam, the ACMA has been working with telecommunications providers to block spam calls and messages, and to identify and take action against spammers.
During this period, the ACMA also took action against a number of telemarketing companies that were found to be breaching the Do Not Call Register. These companies were fined a total of $268,000 for making unsolicited telemarketing calls to Australian consumers who had opted out of receiving such calls.
The latest announcement by ACMA's actions on scams, spam, and telemarketing during the October to December 2022 period demonstrate its commitment to protecting Australians from these types of activities. By taking a range of actions, including blocking fraudulent websites, launching awareness campaigns, and taking enforcement action against offenders, the ACMA is helping to make Australia a safer place for consumers. However, it is important for individuals to remain vigilant and to report any suspicious activity to the ACMA, Scamwatch, or the police.
The Australian Communications and Media Authority announced earlier in February announced The Latest report outlining the 2022 to October December accident scams actions and scams activity ordered on activity audits on TuneIn organise communication organisations and telecom companies.
