WA Radio Scanner Users' Group

A Melbourne taxi driver was recently convicted and fined $850 by the Magistrates Court for recklessly engaging in conduct that would cause substantial interference to radiocommunications (section 197 of the Radiocommunications Act 1992).

The prosecution was the result of a joint operation between the Australian Communications and Media Authority and the Victorian Taxi Services Commission to combat GPS jammer use within the Melbourne taxi industry. The driver, who pleaded guilty, was detected operating a GPS jammer in the CBD through ACMA surveillance techniques.

GPS jammers are reportedly used by some drivers to block their vehicle’s location through the fare dispatch system. This helps the driver pick up additional jobs while dispatch believes he is stationary or at another location.