TLDR
Telstra has launched a sequel to its space-villain campaign starring Steve Buscemi, built around a single number: 24 million scam calls blocked every month. Australians lost $2.18 billion to scams in 2025, and every telco is already required to block scam calls under an industry code.
KEY TAKEAWAYS
Buscemi returns as the Emperor
Telstra launched a sequel to its space-villain advertising campaign on 28 September 2026, again casting Steve Buscemi as an evil intergalactic Emperor whose elaborate scams keep getting foiled by Telstra's network.[3] Each scheme he tries is stopped by Telstra's network.
The campaign is built on one claim: Telstra says it blocks more than 24 million scam calls a month.[3] It runs across TV, cinema, digital, social and Telstra stores.[2]
What the agency built
Bear Meets Eagle On Fire handled creative, with +61 on media. Production companies Arc in Sydney and Smuggler in London shot the campaign, directed by Randy Krallman, with Creative Directors Paul Gregson and Ian Williamson leading the creative team under Chief Creative Officer Micah Walker and Telstra Chief Marketing Officer Brent Smart.[1]
Alita McMenamin, Telstra's Head of Brand and Marketing Communications, said the original campaign gave the team room to push further. "Great villains always come back for a sequel. The second chapter of this campaign takes what Australians loved about the original and raises the stakes, using humour and storytelling to bring an important message to life: helping Australians stay safer online."[2]
The rules behind the ad
Blocking scam calls is not optional for Australian telcos. Under the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA) Reducing Scam Calls and Scam Short Message Service Industry Code, all telcos must proactively monitor their networks, trace and block scam traffic, share intelligence with each other, and report blocked scams to the ACMA every quarter.[4] Rival carriers block scam traffic under the same code, which makes Telstra's campaign an attempt to own a duty every telco shares.
Australians filed 274,577 scam reports involving financial losses totalling $2.18 billion in 2025, according to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC).[5] The highest losses came from phishing, investment and romance scams.
ACCC deputy chair Catriona Lowe said reports from the public give authorities the information they need to track and stop scams.[5]
Beyond network-level blocking, Telstra also offers Device Security Essentials inside its MyTelstra app, covering Wi-Fi scans, device health checks and alerts about risky websites.[3]
SOURCES & CITATIONS
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
How many scam calls does Telstra block each month?
Who created the Steve Buscemi campaign for Telstra?
How much did Australians lose to scams in 2025?
Xaviery Malinao writes for Prompt the Market on how brands and agencies are adapting to answer engines, drawing on Bushnote's work with clients across search, AI search and content.
