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.
