A new register for text scams funded by the federal government should help stop fraudsters fleecing Australians via fake messages.
Almost half the nation has been deceived by or exposed to a dodgy text message in the past year, says Communications Minister Michelle Rowland. As a result, an estimated $3.1 billion (US$2.07 billion) was lost.
The registry will support telcos in preventing scammers imitating key industry or government brand names like Linkt or myGov in text headers.
The measure will add a new layer of protection for consumers against scammers who use known brands to target and deceive, Rowland said.
“We will all reap the practical benefits that will be delivered by the implementation of the SMS sender ID Registry….