These scam/spam messages originate overseas and somehow the culprits spoof local numbers. If there were a way to ban receipt of calls from overseas to my mobile phone, then I'd employ it.

I am always amazed at the security (Or rather, lack off) around manual sign in for contact tracking in stores that I visit doing the day.

Yep, who knows what happens to those sheets?

My view of any scheme that a government comes up with is it's either botched or scammed, if not both.

One does not need to look far to see what a useless mass of negativity the Bureaucracy across the board had become. It would seem that for years huge ammounts oftime effort and money is wasted finding and implimenting anything that they can find in the world that has been proven to be a dud or doomed to failure, whilst killing off anything found to work or liable to.

I doubt that there is a backdoor into the QR code system as it bolts on to ServiceNSW which is secure enough given the sensitive nature of much of its data. Driver, boat, trade/contractor, security, firearms licencing and motor car rego, etc. This doesn't mean that phones themselves aren't backdoored. If Bluetooth is enabled, shopping centres use that to send you messages by extracting your phone number and then automatically sending "Welcome to Blah Blah shopping centre. Shop here, here and here and get a $2 gift voucher, etc". Once your phone number is in their database, they then on-sell it.

I've never received a message of any sort as a result of using coronavirus QR codes. I keep Bluetooth off and do not use public WIFI networks as the bandwidth isn't as good as 4G anyway. With that, there's two less ways for marketeers to get you.

4G Bandwidth what's that? I am 8km West of Wangaratta and the Mobile when it does, or is connected to a co-linear antenna, does so 3G to Beechworth 40km away to the East. I have a Telstra letter saying they're no going to fix it, even that its been like that since day one of digital.

We are going to have to wait for a disaster like the Bushfires nearby,for it to be declared a "Black Spot" area so the Taxpayer is paying for their new towers & Telstra will rake in the money they generate.

4G is available at many shopping centres via a DAS - a distributed access system which acts like a mobile phone tower inside a building using fleapower antennas. These, where installed, give five bar reception. Outside can be a different story.

Where I will probably be camping in two weeks, at Hill End in NSW, Telstra is non-existent but Optus comes in loud and strong. I am not sure about TPG-Vodafone as I've never used them apart from a prepaid account on a GSM link which I used to use to remotely cold-restart my modem.

Amended previous. There is me west- Wangaratta (Waldara area) - Then Beechworth. So nothing of use from Wangaratta. Optus put in a tower I can see around 2miles away. Its signal is pathetic & its radiators are probably pointed at the profit also, as the one my side (of 3) does not appear to be doing a lot.

Every day I get a spam SMS advertising specials on various kinds of wine. There's no name of the business, and no option to unsubscribe.

I don't drink alcohol, and certainly have never purchased wine from anywhere, ever. What's wrong with these people?

Speaking of the devil will probably ensure that he pops back up but, since I have been forwarding all SMS spam messages to that ACMA number, I've had a few spam-free days, which is a nice relief, coincidence or not.

It's about time!

QUOTE: The Communications Alliance, the industry body for the telecommunications sector, is developing a new industry code to identify, trace, block and disrupt SMS scams which would be enforced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority.

John Stanton, the alliance’s chief executive, said the new code had been delayed due to concerns the filtering of text messages could fall foul of Australia’s Telecommunications Interception Act, which dictates when telcos can examine the contents of messages and calls.

I just got a email stating that $2980.45 got paid into my account ( some obscure account I apparently created a while back ) and the balance is now over $3,980.45. In a few days the money will be transferred to my bank account but if I want it instantly all I have to do is pay 1% and they will give it to me straight away lol. I'm happy to wait , what do you think?

all I have to do is pay 1% and they will give it to me straight away

Reminds me of emails I used to get from the Treasurer of Nigeria wanting to give me millions of dollars if I'd pay his handling costs of $10,000 -- that amount to be sent to him via Western Union, of course.

I did get one last week who was being from NBN; He was wanting to be checking the NBN speed and if it was not being up to scratch, he would be sending a technician and he would be installing a new fibre optic plug?

OK! I am rural using wireless NBN off of a tower and the only optic fibre cable is 600m from the house, & not capable of running NBN.

This is going to achieve WHAT?

I received another advert for wine, but this one said I could send STOP to unsubscribe, so I did that. No more have arrived... yet. Still don't know what the business name was either.


I did receive the other day an email to say that a parcel I had sent could not be delivered due to a missing address and just click on this link to fix it up. No thanks. I haven't sent any parcels recently, and even if I did I wouldn't be giving them my email address.

I could send STOP to unsubscribe

I'd be wary of that. Sometimes scammers use that ruse as confirmation that the number is active.

Suggest forwarding all spam/scam SMS messages to the ACMA number I gave above. After all, they have asked the public to do that and, according to that SMH article I linked to, they do seem to be determined to put something in place to stop all of this.