The Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) and CHOICE, along with other consumer advocacy organisations, have welcomed the Australian Governments commitment of $58 million for the establishment and running of the National Anti-Scam Centre (NASC) to be implemented over the next two years.
Alan Kirkland, Chief Executive Officer of CHOICE, has welcomed the development of the NASC in the face of increased and “escalating” scams stating that: “The only way we can stop the growing harm caused by scams is by requiring businesses to work closely with the government to identify and intercept scams in real time. We’re glad to see this approach at the heart of the new Centre.”
The majority of the funding ($44 million) will go towards the technology necessary to collect and receive information, as well as to coordinate responses and ensure relevant parties (e.g. banks, telcos, government institutions, and digital platforms) are kept up to date.
For more background please see the ACCC’s media announcement here.