NBN impersonation scams were the most common phone scams reported to the Australian Media and Communications Authority (ACMA) this year, the agency said.
The ACMA said it received 4,419 reports on NBN impersonation scams in 2019, almost 3,000 more than the second most reported scam, computer virus/tech support scams at 1,761 reports.
The figures were released in ACMA’s top five most reported scams list, which also include Do Not Call Register registration scams (1,245), accident claim scams (435) and so-called Chinese scams (417).
ACMA said the five scams accounted for 87 percent of all scams reported to the agency.
ACMA Authority member Fiona Cameron said the agency is ramping up its action to combat phone scams in 2020.
“The top three on the list are all impersonation scams that many people will be familiar with,” she said in a prepared statement.
“The ACMA’s new Combatting Scams Action Plan is designed to reduce the number of scam calls Australians receive. The project will put enforceable obligations on telco providers to share data and work together to identify and block scam calls like these ones.”
Cameron said a trial will also be held to identify where high volumes of scam calls are coming from, where Aussie telcos work with their international counterparts to block those calls.
“We are confident that we can significantly reduce these scams in a bid to protect Australia,” she added.
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