New rules that require telcos to detect, trace and block scam calls have been introduced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
The Reducing Scam Calls Code, developed by the telco industry, is a direct recommendation of ACMA’s Combating Scams Action Plan.
Chair of ACMA’s Scam Action Taskforce, Fiona Cameron said the Authority had worked closely with telcos and their peak body, the Communications Alliance, to develop the new rules.
“Major telcos report blocking over 30 million scam calls across the last 12 months as they undertook work to trial the identification and reduction of scam calls,” Ms Cameron said.
“The Code is a significant step toward providing better protections for consumers and making Australia a ‘hard target’ for scammers.”
She said there was no silver bullet to reduce scams “but these new rules place clear obligations on industry to do more to protect their customers and build confidence that it’s safe to answer a ringing phone”.
According to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission’s Scamwatch data, Australians have lost $35.6 million to scam calls in 2020 so far with scam calls accounting for 46 per cent of all scams reported.
Ms Cameron said scams had a devastating impact on their victims, and scammers were unscrupulous in taking advantage of people.
“They quickly adapt to changing circumstances, as we have seen, for example, in scam activity targeting Australians during the COVID-19 pandemic,” she said.
Under the new rules, telcos must also publish information to assist their customers to proactively manage and report scam calls, share information about scam calls with other telcos, and report identified scam calls to authorities.
