The government’s National Anti Scam Centre has joined an intelligence exchange in a move that should improve industry visibility of scams, no matter where they are reported.
Assistant Treasurer and Minister for Financial Services Stephen Jones said late last week that the National Anti Scam Centre would join the Australian Financial Crimes Exchange (AFCX).
The AFCX was built and funded by Australia’s banks to allow the public and private sector to better coordinate intelligence and data-sharing activities to address financial and cyber-related crimes.
“The partnership will increase the capacity to disrupt and intercept scammer contact with victims and help identify and take down scammer websites,” Jones said.
“The NASC will share and receive intel such as scam phone numbers, URLs, and bank accounts that are core tools scammers use to ply their act.
“This means that whether a person reports a scam to a bank, a telco or to Scamwatch, we can use the intel loop to stop this scam from harming more Australians.”
Jones added: “The idea of the intel loop is simple, it is all about putting forward a united, coordinated front so scammers can’t reach their victims.”
Australian Banking Association CEO Anna Bligh characterised the move as a “show of strength between the key players from across government, banks, telcos and digital platforms [that] will make Australia an even harder place for scammers to operate.”