<?xml version="1.0" encoding="ISO-8859-1"?> <docID>334483</docID> <postdate>2024-12-03 09:40:17</postdate> <headline>Plan to make telcos trash dodgy texts</headline> <body><p><img class=" wp-image-269765" src="https://citynews.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2022/10/paul-hanaoka-HbyYFFokvm0-unsplash.jpg" alt="" width="899" height="599" /></p> <caption>Authorities are cracking down on scam text messages.</caption> <p><span class="kicker-line">By <strong>William Ton</strong></span></p> <p><strong>Australians could soon say <em>cya l8r</em> to dodgy texts, with telcos forced to verify messages from brands under a government crackdown on scammers.</strong></p> <p>A mandatory SMS Sender ID register will be set up requiring telecommunications companies to check whether messages sent under a brand name correspond with that legitimate brand.</p> <p>The mandatory industry standard, to be enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority, will block the SMS or include a warning if the sender ID doesn't correspond with an ID on the register.</p> <p>It's the government's latest strategy to stop scammers from posing as trusted brands to send dodgy texts, including banks, service providers and government organisations.</p> <p>The register will provide greater checks and balances for consumers and brands as text scams are the most commonly reported scam method.</p> <p>It will help decrease the frequency of SMS impersonation scams, increase protections for legitimate brands and disrupt scam business models.</p> <p>About $10 million has been set aside for four years to launch and maintain the register which the government anticipates will be open for registration from late-2025.</p> <p>The register will play an important role to protect Australians from increasingly sophisticated and organised scammers and restore trust in communications from legitimate organisations, Communications Minister Michelle Rowland said.</p> <p>"We've all received scam messages on our phones purporting to be from reputable sources - and it's costing Australians millions of dollars every year," she said.</p> <p>"This mandatory register will enable these messages to be blocked or flagged as a scam - better protecting consumers from being cheated."</p> <p>Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones said the government's approach is among the most comprehensive in the world.</p> <p>"Scam text messages bombard Australians 24/7. The register will help to shut this down by disrupting the scammers' business model," he said.</p> <p>The federal government has invested more than $168 million into tackling scam activity, including establishing the National Anti-Scam Centre and rules for banks, telcos and social media companies to prevent, detect, report, disrupt and respond to scams.</p> </body>