Australian and UK communications regulators agreed to improve information sharing and cooperation to fight phone scams, spam and unsolicited calls.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) and Ofcom agreed a framework for practical cooperation.

ACMA explained collaboration at an international level is becoming increasingly important as scammers become more sophisticated and deploy new technologies.

Chair Nerida O’Loughlin explained the agreement is another way it is protecting consumers and safeguarding the integrity of telecoms networks in Australia and globally.

The agency cited data from Scamwatch estimating consumer losses due to scam calls and SMS at AUD83 million ($53.3 million) so far this year.

In 2022, Australia and New Zealand reached an agreement, committing to increasing joint efforts to tackle the growing global threat of spam and SMS scams.