SMSGlobal Faces Warnings from ACMA due to Breaches of Industry Code in Spam Text Messages Scam
The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has directed SMS Global to comply with anti-scam rules, following an investigation that uncovered several breaches of the Scam SMs Industry Code.
The Scam SMs Industry Code, designed to protect as many Australians as possible from scam harm, focuses on ensuring compliance with number rights of use and SMS Alphanumeric Sender ID validation. Its objective is to disrupt scam activity in Australia and maintain robust number hygiene.
During the investigation, the ACMA found that over one million SMS were sent using message headers without sufficient checks for legitimacy. Evidence was also uncovered that some scammers used vulnerabilities to send SMS brand impersonation scams using the message headers of well-known brands like Australia Post, National Australia Bank (NAB), and ANZ.
SMS Global, a company responsible for sending these messages, failed to report to the ACMA the number of scam SMSs blocked for the quarters between July 2022 and December 2023 within the requisite timeframes. The authority also found that SMS Global originated short messages with alphanumeric sender IDs without providing evidence of a valid use case.
As a result, SMS Global was found to have breached the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code. The company may face penalties of up to AUD250,000 for breaching an ACMA direction to comply with an industry code.
The Scam SMs Industry Code aims to restore confidence in the legitimacy of calls and SMS reaching consumers. Telcos must share scam information with other telcos and government agencies, monitor for scams, and take disruption action when scams are identified, according to the Industry Code.
Disrupting SMS impersonation scams is a priority for ACMA compliance. Key elements to achieving the objective of the Scam SMs Industry Code are ecosystem-wide level compliance with number rights of use and SMS Alphanumeric Sender ID validation.
The ACMA has emphasised the importance of telcos adhering to the Scam SMs Industry Code to protect Australians from harm caused by scams. The authority will continue to investigate and take action against companies that fail to comply with the code.
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