Australia and Singapore will unite in the fight against unsolicited telemarketing, spam and scams following an agreement between the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and the Info-communications Media Development Authority of Singapore (IMDA).
The new strategic agreement will promote further engagement and information-sharing between the two agencies and assist with investigations and compliance with telecommunications laws in both countries.
This memorandum of understanding (MOU) complements the 2020 Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement to expand trade and economic ties in our region. It follows similar agreements the ACMA has made with its regulatory counterparts in the USA, Canada and New Zealand.
Research conducted by the ACMA in 2021 found that 98 per cent of Australians received some form of unsolicited communication. Scam calls were the most prevalent type of unwanted communication, with 4 in 10 Australians receiving them at least weekly.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said she was pleased to further strengthen the ACMA’s strong working relationship with the IMDA.
“Almost every Australian is impacted by unwanted calls, SMS and emails, and we know that many of our international colleagues are dealing with the same issues” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“This agreement will see us building stronger ties with our Singaporean counterparts to crack down on unsolicited calls and messages, particularly when cross-border issues are involved.”
Mr Lew Chuen Hong, Chief Executive of IMDA said “The burgeoning digital economy sees growing international cooperation between regulators. This MOU, developed in connection with the Australia-Singapore Digital Economy Agreement, is an important step to address global issues that do not respect geographical boundaries for e.g., harms perpetrated by scams. The MOU forms the foundation for broadening collaboration, in the overall telecommunication and digital space, to ensure that it remains a trusted domain.”
If you think you’ve been scammed, contact your bank and phone company immediately and report it to Scamwatch.
Contact IDCARE if you’ve had personal details stolen.
For information on how to spot and stop phone scams, visit acma.gov.au/scams.
MR 26/2022
For more information, please contact ACMA Media on 0438 375 776 or media@acma.gov.au
Read the original press release on the ACMA website: Australia and Singapore to fight unwanted calls and messages together