Vodafone’s parent company TPG Telecom says it analysed millions of scam calls on its network between July 2025 and July 2026. It found 98 per cent of them, more than 24 million calls, came through Symbio, a little-known internet phone company owned by rival Aussie Broadband.
Symbio sells Australian numbers in bulk to about 500 customers, and each can on-sell to thousands more users. Aussie Broadband’s CEO Brian Maher says that lack of visibility makes it hard to stop scammers, though persistent bad actors are disconnected. The company says it has a team of more than 20 people and detection software working on the problem.
TPG found scammers impersonating police in several states and the Australian Federal Police, with more than 2,400 calls in a single week of September. The regulator, ACMA, said its checks on that scam showed traffic was identified and blocked, and it found no breach by an Australian telco. It warned Symbio over scam handling in 2022 and 2024.
Pressure is building ahead of the Scams Prevention Framework, due to be fully introduced next year. Telcos that fail their obligations could face penalties of up to $11 million and may have to compensate customers.
What it means for your money
Don’t rely on your carrier to filter everything. If someone claiming to be police, a bank or a government agency rings out of the blue, hang up and call the organisation back on a number you’ve found yourself. Never move money or hand over details on an unexpected call.
Source: ABC News