A crackdown on phone messaging scams is expected to benefit Sunshine Coast residents.
This year, SMS and phone scam reports were double those reported to Scamwatch in 2020, resulting in more than $87 million being lost by the Australian community.
But new rules are set to curtail the frustrating and potentially costly scams.
“With these new regulations the Federal Government has taken strong action to shut down scam text messages,” Federal Member for Fisher Andrew Wallace said.
“I know that thousands of local residents have received malicious scam text messages, so this is a really positive step forward.
“Working with industry, our government has made an important regulatory amendment empowering the telecommunication sector to identify and block SMS scams at source.
“It won’t mean they disappear overnight, but it does mean more can be done to stop this insidious activity that affects hundreds of thousands of unsuspecting Australians every year.
“Scam text messages and calls are not only annoying – they have a real impact on lives, with people being defrauded, their identities stolen, or their devices disabled. It’s a serious problem which costs Australians millions of dollars a year.
“The regulatory amendment we have enacted provides the telecommunications sector with the authority they need to block malicious SMS messages at scale and protect the Australian public from scammers.”
Mr Wallace said the Federal Government was committed to collaborating with industry to tackle new and emerging threats to the Australian community, including scams that exploit digital technologies for nefarious ends.
“With the support of the Federal Government the Sunshine Coast is already a leader in responding to these kinds of scams,” he said.
“With Federal Government funding of $6.1 million, local organisation IDCARE (Identity Care Australia & New Zealand) helps more than 100,000 Australians every year to deal with the consequences of cybercrime in their lives.”
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The latest regulatory announcement comes on top of the Federal Government’s Reducing Scam Calls Code, which has resulted in more than 214 million scam calls being blocked since December 2020.
“I really encourage everybody to think twice before they click any link sent to them in a text or email – even if it appears to be from a legitimate source. It’s worth checking on the origin of any unexpected text or email,” Mr Wallace said.
Practical information to help Australians stay secure from cybercrime is available at the Australian Government’s dedicated cyber security website. Scams can be reported to Scamwatch.
Sunshine Coast residents who have recently been affected by cybercrime should consider contacting IDCARE on 1800 595 160.
