Symbio telcos breach scam info-sharing rules

Telecommunications companies Symbio Wholesale and Symbio Networks may face a fine of up to $250,000 for breaching information-sharing and reporting obligations.

According to the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), its investigation found Symbio Wholesale failed to share information about scam calls with other telcos and the ACMA in a timely manner on multiple occasions.

Both Symbio Wholesale and Symbio Networks also failed to accurately report the number of scam calls they blocked from April to June 2023.

ACMA Authority member Samantha Yorke said identifying emerging scams and timely sharing of information between telcos is critical to disrupting scams.

“Scam reduction rules are only as effective as the weakest link and on this occasion, Symbio failed to meet its obligations,” she said. “While there is no suggestion Symbio perpetrated these scams, in these cases, it did not provide timely notifications about these calls to other telcos, compromising the ability of those telcos to take rapid action against scams.”

The Reducing Scam Calls and Scam SMS Industry Code places information-sharing obligations on telcos once they identify scam calls and when they are notified of scams by other telcos. These processes are critical to enabling rapid scam identification and disruption across networks.

“Australians reported losing over $115 million to scam calls in 2023 and for some people, the impact can be devastating,” Yorke said. “All telcos must monitor, investigate, trace and block scams and quickly share information to prevent scams reaching the public.”

Telcos may face penalties of up to $250,000 for breaching ACMA directions to comply with industry codes.

“This matter is deeply concerning as it follows an ACMA finding under superseded rules in 2022 that Symbio failed to adequately investigate scam calls after being informed of them by other telcos,” said Yorke. “We will be closely monitoring Symbio’s compliance with the rules and won’t hesitate to take stronger action if future non-compliance is found.”

In a statement to ARN, Symbio acknowledged receipt of ACMA’s recent directions to the company.

“Symbio takes its compliance responsibilities very seriously and promptly took steps to remediate the issues when identified,” it stated. “In its role as a transit provider, Symbio’s principal contribution to reducing scam calls and scam SMS is by identifying calls with scam-like patterns and working with our partners to investigate and block when required. “

In October last year, Aussie Broadband entered into a scheme implementation agreement with Symbio, which was then implemented in February 2024.