According to Australian Associated Press (AAP), Telstra is blocking nearly half a million scam calls across its network every day.

Australia's biggest telecommunications and NBN provider, Telstra, stated that scam calls are rising continuously for the past two months. 

Reason for the Increase in Scam Calls

The current work setup of companies might be the reason for the increase in scam calls. Many people now are remote working, and they are spending more time online. 

Scammers and frauds are taking advantage of the current working situation. They are using different methods to lure their victims. However, many of them are using phones. Particularly, they are doing the "wangiri" or one-ring scams. In this type of phone scam, scammers will get the information they need from their victims by pretending to be a legitimate service (like the ATO) or a random number entirely.

Scams Worth $22 Million

As stated by a report from the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission's Scamwatch service, scams have cost Australians $22 million so far in 2021. 

That large number is quite alarming. That's why Telstra commented regarding the issue. According to them, they have developed new automated systems to block potential scammers. 

What is Telstra Doing to Counter These Frauds?

"Blocking scam calls is no mean feat. Our Networks team has built a smart platform that enables us to monitor inbound calls on our network that have suspicious characteristics and block them before they can ever reach our customers," said Telstra's chief executive, Andy Penn. 

The new system of Telstra was developed in-house by a team of six IT specialists. But even if this company is already known for having expertise in cyber security, they still get help from other companies to get the best result. 

Telstra teamed up with the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) in creating the Reducing Scam Calls Code. This collaborative framework will protect Australians from scam calls.

"Our efforts will always need to evolve to target new, creative tactics that scammers will use so no technology platform will ever stop scam calls entirely. Customers should always remain vigilant."

The telecommunications company is already using it across their network over the past four months. They are already blocking around 1 million calls per month using a manual process. But according to them, it's more likely that they can protect more Australians from scams using the automated system. 

Telstra also advises those who are sceptical about the calls they are receiving to hang up. 

"Scammers operate on confidence, and often victims are influenced to act quickly; if you buy yourself some time to think critically, then your chances of avoiding a scam are far better. As a reminder, if Telstra is legitimately calling you, we will only call between 9am–8 pm Monday to Friday, and 10 am–3 pm Saturday wherever you are based, and not on a Sunday."