Telecommunications provider VoiceHub Pty Ltd (VoiceHub) has been directed to comply with Australia’s phone scam rules after it failed to act against confirmed scam calls on its network.
An Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) investigation found that VoiceHub was notified by another provider in February 2024 about scam calls being carried over its network but failed to block the calls. VoiceHub also failed to share information about the calls with other telcos and the ACMA as required.
Telcos must block confirmed scam calls as soon as practicable under the Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMs Industry Code (the Code).
The Code also places information-sharing obligations on telcos once they identify or are notified about scam calls. These information sharing rules are critical to enabling early identification and disruption of scams across all Australian telco networks.
A failure to notify other telcos can compromise their ability to take rapid action to protect their customers. The ACMA uses these notifications to identify scam trends and monitor that telcos are meeting their obligations.
The investigation also found VoiceHub failed to report to the ACMA the number of scam calls and texts it had blocked from July 2022 to June 2024.
Telcos may face penalties of up to $250,000 for breaching a direction to comply with an industry code.
Scammers are criminals and they target everyone
Help other Australians by reporting scams to Scamwatch. Scammers want you to hide or deny your experiences, or accept the blame. Reporting scams and talking about your experience helps you and others and also informs authorities about scam activities so they can make it harder for scams to occur.
The more we talk, the less power scammers have.
Get informed
The ACMA has released a range of updated consumer awareness material in conjunction with the National Anti-Scam Centre to help Australians spot – and stop – phone scams.
This material is available in several languages including Simplified and Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese, Arabic and Punjabi.
Visit the ACMA’s website for more information: Phone and SMS scams | ACMA