The Australian Communications and Media Authority is set to investigate what measures it can take to combate Sender ID SMS scams.
The inquiry was requested by minister for communications Michelle Rowland and assistant treasurer Stephen Jones.
Sender ID scammers send messages that appear to be from agencies like Australia Post or myGov.
The ministers said an SMS Sender ID register is being used to deter scammers overseas, and that a local version could stop scammers from impersonating trusted brands.
The ACMA will investigate different register models that could be used here.
Rowland trumpeted the success of the ACMA’s existing SMS scam-blocking codes, which came into force last July.
"Nearly 90 million scam texts have been blocked in the first six months since the registration of the industry code, sending a strong message to scammers that we are in this fight for the long haul," Rowland said.
“Strong compliance and enforcement is an important part of the government’s comprehensive approach to scams.”
Last week, the ACMA took its first action against a telco for breaching the anti-SMS scam rules.
According to an ACMA investigation, enterprise SMS company Modica allowed customers to send texts using text-based sender IDs, or a name, without properly checking to ensure they weren’t scams.
The regulator has instructed Modica to comply with the rules, noting that continued breaches could attract Federal Court proceedings.
