Louise Miller-Frost (Boothby, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) notes that:

(a) in 2022, Australians lost an estimated $3.1 billion to scams; and

(b) in the last 12 months to April 2023, almost half of all Australians have been scammed, deceived, or exposed to a fake text message;

(2) commends the Government's commitment to crack down on fake text message scams by:

(a) establishing a SMS sender ID registry in the 2023-24 budget; and

(b) committing to tackling illegal scams and keeping Australians safe; and

(3) further notes that the Government's commitment compliments:

(a) the rules registered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority that saw telecommunications companies block more than 90 million scam texts between July and December 2022; and

(b) the Government's investment to establish a National Anti Scam Centre within the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission as an innovative, world-leading public-private sector partnership to disrupt and stop scammers in Australia.

Hi, Mum, it's me. I dropped my phone in the toilet and I'm texting you from a temporary number. Can you WhatsApp me?

Your toll fee is overdue. Click on this link to avoid overdue fines.

Your device has been suspended from e-payments. Click on this link to reactivate your credit card.

Your bank has stopped an unusual transaction. Click on this link to secure your account.

Hi. We're looking for part-time employees. No experience required. Work just one or two hours a day and earn at least $1,000 to $2,000 for five consecutive days.

Unfortunately, these sorts of text messages—and the phone calls and the emails—have become more and more familiar to Australians over the last few years. While we may roll our eyes and laugh at some of these seemingly amateurish attempts, it is sobering to know that Australians lost some $3.1 billion in 2022 to scammers, and that number has been doubling year on year. Telecommunication companies blocked 90 million scam texts between July and December 2022.

Some years ago I heard about an overseas scamming operation that had been shut down by international law enforcement. The key operatives arrested included, as you would expect, people with expertise in computing, but there were also several with PhDs in psychology, because, while we can do a lot technically to protect ourselves, as can the organisations we engage with, through secure passwords, two-factor authentication and the like, social engineering is the way that most people lose to scammers.

Scammers work hard to con people, to trick them into believing that they're your friend, your child, your bank, your internet company, or a great investment or an employment opportunity that will change your life—get in quick! Too many Australians lose big money to scammers. They lose money, they lose their identities, and there is embarrassment, shame and a lack of confidence in engaging with the world around us. While we can measure the amount of money stolen by the scammers every year—at least if the amount is reported to authorities—the damage these scammers do is immeasurable.

Last week Assistant Treasurer Stephen Jones and I held a scams forum in Boothby. The event was booked out within a day or so and we have a waiting list for a repeat event. Mr Jones covered some of the more common types of scams: fishing scams, dating and romance scams, false billing scams, investment scams, employment scams. They are all too-good-to-be-true scams. He also shared a few hints on how to be more aware: protect yourself; take your time; don't let them rush you; be alert to typos. Know that your bank won't engage you as 'Dear Sir/Madam'. Don't click on any links sent to you. Don't give personal information over the phone to callers. If they say they are from a company that you genuinely deal with, stop, hang up and call them back. Look up the organisation's phone number or website independently and call them on a number that you have verified. Don't let anyone have remote access to your computer. Be wary of anyone trying to move you from a public form of social media to a private one such as a WhatsApp or a messenger.

The Albanese government is taking the issue of scams seriously. We have seen the damage scammers are doing in our communities and to individuals, and we are determined to take them on. Part of that is raising awareness and improving education in our communities, and the scams forum being conducted around the country by the Assistant Treasurer is a visible part of that effort. Unlike the previous government, we're not just standing by to watch the scams increase, doubling every year, without lifting a finger.

People all over Australia are saying enough is enough, and that's why we've already taken action, providing $86.5 million to combat scams in this budget. This money will provide $58 million to the ACCC to establish a national antiscam centre to improve detection, deterrence and prevention. There's money for ASIC to combat investment scams and $10.9 million for an SMS sender registry so that, rather than playing catch-up on the phone numbers that we're trying to block for sending scam messages, banks, telecommunication companies, utilities and government agencies will be able to register the genuine numbers that they will contact people from so Australians can feel confident in dealing with those institutions and know to be sceptical about calls from other numbers.

The scams that attack Australians on a daily basis have been increasing over recent years, and the Albanese Labor government is stepping in to protect us all.

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