Safe & Secure
Combating scam messages
Mobile messaging's growth has led to an unwanted rise in spam and phishing attempts across the globe. Scammers send fake text messages to trick recipients into giving them personal information — things like password or account number that can be used to gain access to email, bank, or other accounts.
Modica is committed to combating scam SMS globally. We have been providing safe and secure intelligent messaging solutions to customers for over 15 years and understand the importance of protecting the public from SMS and identity theft scammers.
We work with regulators, banks, telcos, and our customers around the world to protect users. For example, since July 2022, almost 90 million SMS scams have been blocked under the new Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) rules. Modica is committed to combating spam SMS and understands the importance of protecting the public from spam and identity theft scammers.
Some of the ways we protect you and your audience, include; Sender ID Registration, URL Verification and working with telcos on their trusted sources programs.
Reducing Malicious Messages
Malicious actors are increasingly using SMS in phishing and spam campaigns.
We are on a mission to protect our customers and partners from this growing threat.
Our Safe & Secure initiative aims to reduce malicious messages.
Bad Actors
Customers trust us to deliver their messages.
Carriers and regulators expect us to protect end users.
These expectations are central to our mission.
Safe & secure platform
We have a set of products to provide a wrap around solution for trusted message sending.
The success of mobile messaging has led to an unwanted rise in scam and phishing (smishing) attempts. By posing as legitimate organisations and presenting URLs, recipients can be tricked into being directed to sites requiring payments or eliciting personal information like passwords or account numbers that can be used to gain access to email, bank, or other accounts.
Our Safe & Secure platform ensures messages are checked for malicious content. For more information, please contact our team.
Proactively register, store, monitor use and escalate non-compliant use of Alphanumeric Sender IDs.
In addition to detecting malicious content, smishing attempts can also involve the misuse (impersonation) of the Alphanumeric Sender ID (who the message is ‘from’). Often misuse of Sender ID’s will also contain unsafe URLs. If a Sender ID is not registered it will be blocked. The Modica platform and processes ensure;
- Customers have their identity validated by Modica or a trusted partner before they can send messages using Omni
- Sender ID Management - The use of alpha masks is restricted to names verified by Modica (must match the business name, abbreviated name, or registered trade-marks)
- Customer, application or route level controls
- Allow/Deny lists or Protect source masks and deny use of protected sources
- Admin and regulatory reporting
Protected message sending and administration from within.
We deploy a range of safety features to keep enterprises secure, including:
- Federated Identity integration with customers own Identity Providers- MFA and 2FA (OTP) for customers without an IdP
- Secure transports between endpoints (TLS / VPN)
- IP Whitelisting of end points
- Data Anonymisation in reporting
- Data Deletion / Retention compliance
- Logging and Notifications to report and inform of non-compliant events
On a similar theme to Mask/Sender ID management, Source management controls the application and use of the underlying Short Code and/or MSISDN and ensure consumers and regulators can track which service is using the shortcode or MSISDN.
We ensure we ‘Know our Customer’ (KYC) by ensuring each service is registered in our platform as follows:
- Signed application forms- Contact details
- Routing information
- Support numbers
- Owner and purpose of the service
- Service costs to consumers
Our Number Lookup service allows customers to perform different checks on a mobile number, by returning information from relevant databases and the mobile network operator (MNO) the number is subscribed to.
You simply enter the mobile number you wish to look up and we will provide the relevant information you are after.
We are constantly adding new information that is made available to us and this list will vary with time but currently, the service can provide the following information; validity of a mobile number, if its currently connected to a network, mobile vs landline vs VOIP, current network, original network, network country, and ported date.
Our Monitoring dashboards has advanced filtering and data correlation capabilities to inspect and assess potential violations of our acceptable use policy and applicable legislation, e.g. Unsolicited Electronic Messages Act, ACMA Code - C661 (Reducing Scam SMS), Harmful Digital Communications Act, Privacy Act, GDPR, etc.
This tool enables us to respond more effectively to incidents and work with partners to resolve them.
Product Spotlight - Federated ID
Federated ID helps organisations to have secure access by allowing a single set of login credentials to be used across applications. This reduces the number of logins which decreases risk to the organisation.
For example, an organisation may use Azure Active Directory as an identity provider and can set up access to the messaging platform for users with Azure Active Directory login credentials. Setting up access is simple and can be done inside the messaging platform.