You won’t believe how many scam text messages Telstra blocks in a year!
- Replies 4
While it can be quite unnerving to receive a text message from someone you don’t know, it’s likely just a spam text.
Some may be an advert for a product or service you don’t want or need, while others might be trying to con you out of your hard-earned money.
Though there is no way to measure exactly how much money scammers have made from Australians, alarming figures released by Telstra revealed that they have intercepted more than 225 million scam texts since April 2022 when they first launched their scam-filtering measure for Telstra and Belong network subscribers.
According to Narelle Devine, Chief Information Security Officer at Telstra, the blocked texts included those that contained invitations to install malicious software onto users' mobile devices and requests for financial information from scammers pretending to be someone else.
‘Each one of these 225 million scams blocked reduces the chance of Australians falling victim to one of these,' she said.
'It’s also a reminder that scammers are persistent and target just about everyone with a mobile number when it comes to their campaigns, especially as we enjoy our Christmas and New Year breaks.'
As of November 2022, data from the government’s Scam Watch website reveals that of the 13,049 scam reports they’ve received, almost half are text scams at 46.3 per cent, followed by email scams (24.7 per cent) and phone scams (22.5 per cent).
Devine also shed light on why scammers are highly motivated to cause harm (mental and financial) to unsuspecting Australians.
'Just like many of us look forward to the holidays, so do scammers. With loads of new gadgets needing to be set up online at the moment, more toll roads travelled for holidays and a huge amount of online shopping deliveries — these all provide more opportunities for scammers to seize on,' she said.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, authorities ramped up their warnings against scams expecting criminals to go all out at a very busy — and distracting — time for most Aussies.
One example was Scam Watch’s warning of the ‘Hi Mum’ text scam, which made a holiday comeback after surfacing early in 2022. The scam targets parents with ‘children’ who suddenly claim that their phones have been broken (or other excuses) and that they need some money from mum or dad (as experienced by our very own Maddie).
Other scams Telstra says it has seen more of in the last couple of months include bank scams, fake toll notice scams, and job offer scams.
In case you’re a new Telstra customer, the good news is that you don’t have to go through hoops to activate the filter — it’s already turned on by default! Meanwhile, if you want the feature turned off, simply send FILTER OFF to 0438214682. It is strongly recommended to leave the filter on though.
In July 2022, the Australian Communications and Media Authority revealed rules that hold telecommunications companies liable for up to $250,000 in penalties if they do not follow anti-scam rules, which include publicly informing customers of newly discovered fraud schemes and sharing data on suspicious numbers.
Now, pardon us for sounding like a broken record, but it bears repeating: no one is ever fully safe from scams, but simple awareness goes a long way against scammers. Keeping up-to-date through the news or our Scam Watch forum can help you spot fraudsters after your money and private details a mile (or, rather, a kilometre) away.
Intuition is also key — if something feels off about a text, email, or call, it would be wise to be on the side of caution and not entertain any form of suspicious contact.
And of course, digital hygiene! Be careful about posting your personal details such as your phone number and email address online as scammers may use these to get in touch with you.
If you have time, do check out these other stories:
What are your thoughts on the increasing number of scam texts? Have you ever been contacted by a scammer? Let us know in the comments below!
Some may be an advert for a product or service you don’t want or need, while others might be trying to con you out of your hard-earned money.
Though there is no way to measure exactly how much money scammers have made from Australians, alarming figures released by Telstra revealed that they have intercepted more than 225 million scam texts since April 2022 when they first launched their scam-filtering measure for Telstra and Belong network subscribers.
According to Narelle Devine, Chief Information Security Officer at Telstra, the blocked texts included those that contained invitations to install malicious software onto users' mobile devices and requests for financial information from scammers pretending to be someone else.
‘Each one of these 225 million scams blocked reduces the chance of Australians falling victim to one of these,' she said.
Telstra formally launched its anti-text scam filter in April 2022. Screengrab Credit: YouTube/Telstra
'It’s also a reminder that scammers are persistent and target just about everyone with a mobile number when it comes to their campaigns, especially as we enjoy our Christmas and New Year breaks.'
As of November 2022, data from the government’s Scam Watch website reveals that of the 13,049 scam reports they’ve received, almost half are text scams at 46.3 per cent, followed by email scams (24.7 per cent) and phone scams (22.5 per cent).
Devine also shed light on why scammers are highly motivated to cause harm (mental and financial) to unsuspecting Australians.
'Just like many of us look forward to the holidays, so do scammers. With loads of new gadgets needing to be set up online at the moment, more toll roads travelled for holidays and a huge amount of online shopping deliveries — these all provide more opportunities for scammers to seize on,' she said.
In the weeks leading up to Christmas, authorities ramped up their warnings against scams expecting criminals to go all out at a very busy — and distracting — time for most Aussies.
One example was Scam Watch’s warning of the ‘Hi Mum’ text scam, which made a holiday comeback after surfacing early in 2022. The scam targets parents with ‘children’ who suddenly claim that their phones have been broken (or other excuses) and that they need some money from mum or dad (as experienced by our very own Maddie).
Forty-six per cent of scams reported to Scam Watch as of November 2022 were text scams. Stock Image Credit: Pexels/Mikhail Nilov
Other scams Telstra says it has seen more of in the last couple of months include bank scams, fake toll notice scams, and job offer scams.
In case you’re a new Telstra customer, the good news is that you don’t have to go through hoops to activate the filter — it’s already turned on by default! Meanwhile, if you want the feature turned off, simply send FILTER OFF to 0438214682. It is strongly recommended to leave the filter on though.
In July 2022, the Australian Communications and Media Authority revealed rules that hold telecommunications companies liable for up to $250,000 in penalties if they do not follow anti-scam rules, which include publicly informing customers of newly discovered fraud schemes and sharing data on suspicious numbers.
Now, pardon us for sounding like a broken record, but it bears repeating: no one is ever fully safe from scams, but simple awareness goes a long way against scammers. Keeping up-to-date through the news or our Scam Watch forum can help you spot fraudsters after your money and private details a mile (or, rather, a kilometre) away.
Intuition is also key — if something feels off about a text, email, or call, it would be wise to be on the side of caution and not entertain any form of suspicious contact.
And of course, digital hygiene! Be careful about posting your personal details such as your phone number and email address online as scammers may use these to get in touch with you.
What are your thoughts on the increasing number of scam texts? Have you ever been contacted by a scammer? Let us know in the comments below!
.png){kind=icon}
