News Brief: English
Summary
Australian telco Southern Phone has been fined a record $2.5 million by the ACMA for systemic failures in its identity verification processes, which allowed scammers to hijack mobile numbers and access bank accounts over an eight-month period.
Key Points
- Record Fine: Fined $2,500,560, the highest penalty ever imposed by the ACMA for such breaches.
- Breach Period: Failed to properly verify identities during mobile number porting on 168 occasions between July 2024 and February 2025.
- Consumer Impact: Scammers took control of numbers, leading to at least $393,000 in reported losses for 20 customers.
- ACMA Action: Issued a 36-month enforceable undertaking requiring independent review, regular security tests, and reporting.
- Industry Context: Third major enforcement action this year for porting fraud; telcos have paid over $4.6 million in total penalties recently.
新闻简报：中文
摘要
澳大利亚电信公司Southern Phone因违反反诈骗法律，被澳大利亚通信和媒体管理局（ACMA）处以创纪录的250万澳元罚款。调查发现，在八个月期间，其身份验证系统存在漏洞，导致诈骗者能够接管用户手机号码并访问银行账户。
关键点
- 创纪录罚款：被罚款2,500,560澳元，这是ACMA对此类违规行为开出的最高罚单。
- 违规时段：在2024年7月至2025年2月的八个月内，共168次未能按规定在号码携转时验证用户身份。
- 用户影响：诈骗者借此控制了手机号码，导致20名消费者报告至少损失393,000澳元。
- 监管措施：除罚款外，ACMA还接受了该公司为期36个月的可强制执行承诺，要求其进行独立审查、定期系统安全测试并向ACMA报告。
- 行业背景：这是ACMA今年第三次针对电信公司号码携转流程漏洞采取执法行动；近期电信公司已支付超过460万澳元罚款。
Original Article Link: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2025-12-03/southern-phone-fined-over-for-2m-for-breaching-anti-scam-laws/106091898