Latest news with #CommissionforCommunicationsRegulation
RTÉ News
4 days ago
- Health
- RTÉ News
New 'likely scam' tag for texts comes into effect
A new 'likely scam' label will from today be added to text messages that users receive from companies or organisations that have not yet registered with the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) in a bid to protect mobile users from falling victim to scams. Any organisations that fail to register with ComReg will have any text messages they send labelled 'likely scam' to alert the recipient that it may not be legitimate. "You may see 'likely scam' and that means we're not sure they are really the sender of that message," Commissioner Robert Mourik told RTÉ News. "However, at this moment that can also mean your doctor or dentist hasn't yet registered with us. We're asking everyone whose message comes up as 'likely scam' but is genuine, to come to us and register their number." Consumers receiving text messages from the SMS Sender ID 'Likely Scam' are advised to be cautious of the content of those messages and to avoid clicking on links or calling any numbers within those texts. ComReg recommends that they contact the organisation the message claims to be from to see if it is genuine. From 3 October, text messages from unregistered SMS Sender IDs will be blocked altogether and consumers will not receive them at all. ComReg says that over 11,000 SMS Sender IDs have been registered to date. Mr Mourik described this three-month period as a time to allow the system to "settle" as he anticipates more organisations will register. "We know that these scam messages we are going to block are causing about €115-120million of damage every year so we really think and hope that by introducing this measure, we can seriously prevent a lot of harm to the Irish consumer," he said. "People can still receive text messages from normal phone numbers or foreign phone numbers which could also still be fraud. We are talking to Government to see what we can do to tackle those messages as well in the future."
RTÉ News
04-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
ComReg pre-registers over 7,000 Sender IDs to prevent scam texts
The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has said more than 7,000 SMS Sender IDs have been pre-registered for its registry designed to cut down on text-message scams. From next month, business names and brands that are not on the SMS Sender ID Registry will have their text messages to customers labelled as "Likely Scam", while they will be blocked in October. Many organisations rely on SMS/text messages to communicate with customers and clients for services such as financial transactions, delivery updates, and appointments. This type of messaging is called Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging. A2P text messages often include an alphanumeric identifier, or SMS Sender ID, that may be the name of the company or brand that sent the message (e.g., 234BANK). From 3 July, any organisations that fail to register will have any text messages they send labelled "Likely Scam" to alert the recipient that it may not be legitimate. Then, from 3 October, text messages from unregistered SMS Sender IDs will be blocked. Organisations may register their own SMS Sender ID or their SMS provider may register the SMS Sender ID on their behalf. It is hoped organisations such as banks and utilities - which are regularly impersonated by scammers - will sign up to the registry. Research from consultants Europe Economics estimates that scam calls and texts cost Irish businesses and consumers over €300 million per year, of which around €115 million annually is attributed to scam texts. ComReg Chairperson Garrett Blaney said: "The organisation is actively engaging with Mobile Service Providers, SMS Aggregators and organisations using SMS Sender IDs to ensure that as many legitimate SMS Sender IDs as possible are registered before the 'Likely Scam' modification phase begins on 3 July 2025. "This is important to ensure a smooth implementation of the SMS Sender ID Registry, to help protect consumers, and to limit impact on organisations." He added that "the SMS Sender ID Registry is just one of a number of interventions introduced by ComReg to help mitigate the scourge of scam phone calls and text messages."
RTÉ News
04-06-2025
- Business
- RTÉ News
ComReg pre-register over 7,000 Sender IDs to prevent scam texts
The Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg) has said more than 7,000 SMS Sender IDs have been pre-registered for its registry designed to cut down on text-message scams. From next month, business names and brands that are not on the SMS Sender ID Registry will have their text messages to customers labelled as "Likely Scam", while they will be blocked in October. Many organisations rely on SMS/text messages to communicate with customers and clients for services such as financial transactions, delivery updates, and appointments. This type of messaging is called Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging. A2P text messages often include an alphanumeric identifier, or SMS Sender ID, that may be the name of the company or brand that sent the message (e.g., 234BANK). From 3 July, any organisations that fail to register will have any text messages they send labelled "Likely Scam" to alert the recipient that it may not be legitimate. Then, from 3 October, text messages from unregistered SMS Sender IDs will be blocked. Organisations may register their own SMS Sender ID or their SMS provider may register the SMS Sender ID on their behalf. It is hoped organisations such as banks and utilities - which are regularly impersonated by scammers - will sign up to the registry. Research from consultants Europe Economics estimates that scam calls and texts cost Irish businesses and consumers over €300 million per year, of which around €115 million annually is attributed to scam texts. ComReg Chairperson Garrett Blaney said: "The organisation is actively engaging with Mobile Service Providers, SMS Aggregators and organisations using SMS Sender IDs to ensure that as many legitimate SMS Sender IDs as possible are registered before the 'Likely Scam' modification phase begins on 3 July 2025. "This is important to ensure a smooth implementation of the SMS Sender ID Registry, to help protect consumers, and to limit impact on organisations." He added that "the SMS Sender ID Registry is just one of a number of interventions introduced by ComReg to help mitigate the scourge of scam phone calls and text messages."
Irish Daily Mirror
01-06-2025
- Politics
- Irish Daily Mirror
Minister goes 'f**king mental' at summit over lack of planning since Storm Eowyn
'Fiery' talks with communications stakeholders ended abruptly after Media Minister Patrick O'Donovan walked out over a lack of planning since Storm Eowyn. Sources at the summit, co-chaired by Mr O'Donovan and Social Protection Minister Dara Calleary, said he left the building after giving the groups a dressing down. Storm Eowyn hit on January 24 and 768,000 houses, farms and businesses were cut off from the power supply, while 200,000 had no water. Telecommunications were also impacted, with 281,100 fixed service users (10%) and 1.8 million mobile service users (30%) affected at its peak. On May 21, a meeting was held at the Department of Environment, Climate and Communications headquarters on Haddington Road in Dublin. It was attended by Mr O'Donovan, Mr Calleary, and Department of Housing officials. Several groups, including the Commission for Communications Regulation (ComReg), the Telecommunications Industry Ireland of Ibec, and ESB Networks, presented. According to the agenda seen by the Irish Mirror, each had 10 minutes to present on resilience, preparedness and emergency planning. Sources said following their talks that Mr O'Donovan was angry as he felt what they had presented 'wasn't good enough' and 'nothing had happened' since Storm Eowyn. An insider said: 'He told them it was unacceptable. It isn't the Himalayas, it's west Cork. 'He told them they hadn't seemed to have learned anything and if this had happened in Dublin, it would have been a very different response.' Several sources described Mr Calleary as attempting to be 'diplomatic', with some saying he also expressed frustration with the groups. One source said the 'fiery meeting' was 'adjourned abruptly'. It added: 'It was very testy because the ministers wanted to know what had been done since the storm and there wasn't really much by way of an update. Both ministers were fairly annoyed and weren't taking any prisoners.' Another source added: 'It has been 16 weeks. He went f**king mental.'
Extra.ie
14-05-2025
- Business
- Extra.ie
Baffled by Broadband? ComReg helps you find out what your options are
Technology changes quickly, and with so much of our work and personal lives relying on digital tools, it can feel overwhelming to stay informed. Take broadband, for example. ComReg carried out a Broadband Connectivity Survey in 2023 that found 44% of people work from home at least one day a week- but do you know if you have the right package for your needs? Well if you don't, ComReg can help! The Commission for Communications Regulation has been providing consumers with reliable guidance on broadband, mobile and landline services since 2002. Pic: Getty Images ComReg has recently updated its free online tool Compare, that's an easy-to-use resource where you can click on the service you are looking for to discover all the options that are available to you. The tool searches for mobile, broadband, home phone and bundle plans that are tailored to your needs, that way you know you're getting the very best value for money. Pic: Shutterstock When comparing broadband plans, you can filter by a number of ways: Technology Speed Provider Contract length For a new mobile plan, you can choose between bill pay or pre-pay, and filter by technology and plans that include phones. You can even check which plans do not have annual price increases. Pic: Shutterstock ComReg doesn't just help you compare packages and bundles, they also provide information on how to switch smoothly if you need to do so. For example, did you know that if you lose service when switching, the disruption shouldn't last more than one working day? As well as the Compare tool, ComReg's website also has advice and information about mobile and broadband services along with helpful tools that allow you to check broadband availability and a mobile coverage map. If you need help, ComReg's Consumer Care team is available to assist you, or your authorised representative, 8am to 8pm Monday to Friday and 9am to 1pm on Saturday (excluding public holidays). You can contact ComReg's dedicated Consumer Care team by phone at (01) 8049668, via email to consumerline@ or online complaint form or live chat over on the website Sending a text with the words COMREG or ASKCOMREG to 51500 will request a call or text back (standard SMS rates apply), while you can send a letter to the Consumer Care Team, ComReg, One Dockland Central, Guild Street, Dublin 1, D01 E4X0. An Irish Sign Language facility is available on request and you can contact ComReg Consumer Care via text relay. For more information, visit
