The Telecommunications Regulatory Authority (TRA) and Bahrain’s mobile network operators (MNOs) have joined forces to publish sweeping new guidelines designed to detect, block and mitigate fraudulent SMS (text message) activity targeting consumers.
The ‘Guidelines for Reducing Fraudulent SMS’ are the result of a joint working group formed to tackle the growing threat of scams and digital safety issues affecting mobile users.
TRA officials emphasised that this collaborative initiative reflects a united front to address real issues facing mobile users, reinforcing the kingdom’s commitment to consumer protection and digital trust.
“This collaborative effort with the mobile operators reflects our shared commitment to protecting consumers in Bahrain,” said TRA director of consumer and communications Shaikh Abdulla bin Humood Al Khalifa. “By working together, we are ensuring that the public can use telecom services with greater confidence and security. These guidelines will play a vital role in safeguarding individuals from fraudulent SMS and in raising awareness about online safety.”
TRA general director Philip Marnick added: “The publication of these guidelines demonstrates what can be achieved when regulators and industry partners work hand-in-hand. Our united effort is focused on protecting people in Bahrain from scams and ensuring that their interests are always safeguarded. This is an important step in strengthening trust in our telecom networks and in delivering on our responsibility to consumers.”
The new rules mandate clear measures and technical requirements for MNOs to combat scams.
Operators must now deploy advanced security systems to stop SMS fraud before it reaches users.
This requires implementing ‘Smart Detection’ solutions that use a layered approach and adaptive machine learning models that constantly evolve to spot new scams in real-time, analysing message details like sending patterns and origin.
These detection systems must achieve at least 99 per cent accuracy in blocking fraudulent messages.
Crucially, they must maintain a low rate of wrongly blocked legitimate messages (false positives), keeping it below 1pc to minimise disruption to users’ communications.
Operators must also continuously maintain and update blacklists of fraudulent numbers.
They must also actively help and educate their customers to prevent SMS fraud. This includes publishing clear, up-to-date and easy-to-access guidelines on their websites, detailing the various types of SMS fraud risks.
Operators must also clearly communicate available products or services designed to block suspicious SMS fraud, providing user-friendly instructions.
Furthermore, they are required to inform users of the necessary action steps to take upon receiving a fraudulent SMS, such as how to report the message and secure their accounts.
Finally, MNOs should promote the use of Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA), which adds a crucial extra layer of protection if a user’s credentials are compromised.
Operators must ensure transparency and co-operation in their fraud mitigation efforts. They must provide an accessible reporting mechanism that allows users to easily flag fraudulent messages.
Crucially, all fraud prevention activities must be conducted with ‘Privacy First’, strictly complying with Bahrain’s Data Protection Law.
This commitment means MNOs must inform users about the security steps taken to protect their data and establish clear, effective mechanisms for handling privacy complaints and data breaches.
To ensure accountability, MNOs are required to submit an annual report to the TRA by January 31 of every calendar year, detailing key metrics like the total number of SMSs blocked and the system’s accuracy.
avinash@gdnmedia.bh
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