Telstra Corporation Limited customers experienced a sudden deluge of text messages indicating missed calls and voicemails that never actually rang, sparking confusion and fears of a cyber attack. While mobile users flooded call logs and social media with reports of phantom alerts—with some individuals receiving dozens of delayed messages at once and others calling back numbers that had never actually attempted contact—Telstra confirmed the incident stemmed from an internal technical fault rather than any security breach.
Subscribers Receive Delayed Notifications from a Glitch
The unexpected wave of notifications left subscribers puzzled as their devices registered missed calls and voicemails that failed to appear in recent call logs. Affected users reported calling numbers back only to be told the other party had never called, while others received notifications for old missed calls originating from over a week prior. Wholesale MVNO customers using the network, including Android users on other providers such as Woolworths, were impacted alongside direct Telstra subscribers. The sudden surge of alerts led some users to receive up to 56 messages within a 20-minute span, prompting widespread speculation across the internet regarding potential network compromises.
⚠️ We’re aware of some customers receiving a number of delayed missed call and voicemail notifications arriving all at once. This is due to an issue with our MessageBank service earlier today, which has now been fixed. We’re sorry for how confusing this must be. (1/2)
Telstra Fixes the MessageBank Issue and Dismisses Hacking Fears
Telstra addressed the disruption by confirming that We experienced an issue with our MessageBank service earlier today, which has now been fixed.
The company issued an apology to customers, stating, You might notice a number of delayed missed call and voicemail notifications arriving all at once. We’re sorry for how confusing this must be.
Network operators and officials dismissed earlier hacking fears, explicitly clarifying that there was zero evidence of a cyber attack. Telstra further assured the public that emergency services, voice calls, and mobile data remained completely unaffected throughout the incident.
