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The government has announced that it will establish an SMS sender ID register, backed by $10 million in funding from the upcoming federal budget.
Communications Minister Michelle Rowland asked the Australian Communications and Media Authority to explore the idea of a register of SMS sender IDs back in February, with the goal of combating the rising number of sender ID scams, which see threat actors impersonating government agencies such as MyGov.
The new measure will work by requiring agencies to register their sender IDs with telcos. When a message is sent attempting to use that sender ID, telcos will then check the register list and block illegitimate messages.
“The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) will receive more than $10 million over four years to launch and maintain an Australian SMS sender ID registry,” according to a joint release by Minister Rowland and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones.
“This adds a new layer of protection for Australian consumers against scammers using these known brands to target and deceive.”
The move comes as the frequency and severity of scams reach an unprecedented high. According to statistics shared by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC), Australians lost a record 3.1 billion to scams in 2022, fifty-five per cent more than 2021’s 2 billion.
In addition, 47 per cent of Australians have reported exposure to scam messages, and text messages were the leading contact method for scams at 33 per cent.
“The Albanese government is committed to doing what it can to disrupt illegal text message scams and better protect Australians,” said Minister Rowland.
“With more and more Australians reporting scam text messages, the Albanese government is taking strong action by funding the regulator to establish a new SMS sender ID registry to support telcos in stopping scammers from imitating trusted brands.
“We will all reap the practical benefits that will be delivered by the implementation of the SMS sender ID Registry.”
Similarly, Minister Jones said: “We know text messages have topped phone calls as a scammers tool of choice. The registry will not only make it tougher for scammers to imitate trusted brands through SMS; it will be crucial in disrupting a key channel scammers use to target victims.”
The register will be established in July with a staggered rollout and hopes to complement existing scam prevention methods.
The Albanese government has also invested in establishing a National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) as part of the ACCC. The NASC will use resources across government, telcos, financial services, digital platforms, law enforcement and more to “disrupt and stop scammers in Australia”.
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