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ACMA gets orders against alleged SMS spammers

Three companies accused of fabricating dating profiles

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has obtained interlocutory orders from the Federal Court of Australia against three companies over allegations of SMS spamming and fake dating profiles.

Mobilegate, Winning Bid, Jobspy and people associated with these companies are alleged to have sent unsolicited SMS messages to mobile users and encouraged them to sign up for expensive premium services by using false dating profiles and images of people without their permission.

Mobile phone users replying to the unsolicited messages were then charged up to $5 per message, despite the profiles being fabricated.

The orders require Simon Anthony Owen, Tarek Andreas Salcedo and Glenn Christopher Maughan from Winning Bid to refrain from creating fake profiles on dating websites and social networking websites, communicating with people using fake profiles and releasing images of people without obtaining their permission.

Mobilegate and Scott Mark Moles from Jobspy received similar orders. Winning Bid was further ordered to remove the fictitious profiles it had placed on dating websites and social networking websites.

Earlier this year, the ACMA fined Optus $110,000 for breaching the Spam Act 2003 by sending out unsolicited SMS messages without accurate sender information.

A date for the final hearing for the case has yet to be set.

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