Communications Alliance is seeking public comment on a new industry code that would require telcos to beef up their customer authentication practices.
Comms Alliance says new code C666:2021 Existing Customer Authentication would work in concert with other regulatory safeguards, including the Pre-Port Verification Standard (for verifying customers wanting to switch mobile service providers) and the Reducing Scam Calls Industry Code.
Alexander Osborne, chair of the Comms Alliance working committee that drafted the code, said it would provide a common set of principles to ensure service providers had strong protections in place to authenticate any request to make changes to a communications service was being made by the customer or their authorised representative.
“The objective is to limit the opportunity for fraudulent activity, in particular any action that could result in the customer losing access to their telecommunications service – for example via an illegal SIM swap or service transfer,” Mr Osborne said.
Details of authentication methods required
Comms Alliance CEO, John Stanton, said the code also would requires service providers to give information to their customers about the authentication solutions associated with the supply of the service.
“Fraud and scam activity is a fast-moving hydra-headed menace and we aim for this new code – combined with existing industry-led mechanisms around pre-port verification and prevention of scam calls – to provide a holistic approach that will offer better protection to customers,” Mr Stanton said.
The Working Committee will study all of the feedback received during the public comment period before making any consequent amendments to the draft Code and submitting it to the industry regulator, the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), for consideration for registration.
The draft code is available for public comment for 30 days.
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