Telstra, Optus and Medion Mobile have all been issued warnings by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) for failure to comply with number porting regulations.
It may not seem like a huge deal, but when you consider the number of accounts we have tied to 2FA through text it’s a potential pathway for identity or financial theft. In a worst-case scenario, as happened to a former work colleague of mine, you could suffer a significant financial impact or a special day ruined. Once your number is lost, it can take a significant amount of time to undo the damage: Financially and to your identity.
The specific failures are related to identity verification prior to porting numbers to another telco with the three carriers warned, amassing a total of 106 detected violations of the code:
- Telstra – 52 times
- Medion Mobile – 53 times
- Optus – Once
Interestingly, Vodafone had zero noted violations and with the tightened regulations all carriers reported a reduction — in some cases, complete elimination — of the use of number porting to commit identity or financial fraud. The telcos noted above were lucky this time but further violations could lead to fines of up to $250,000 for each violation.
$250,000 per offense is less than chump change for the major telcos.
The fine amount really needs to be kicked up a few notches, so it can seriously chomp the offenders in the wallet.
So they can increase plan costs again?
Its an important check, and one miss is too many
But would appreciate knowing the total number of ports that occurred during the reporting period.
the number of number ports that Telstra must do, 50 would be a low percentage.
I have appreciated the checks when porting my number.