Australians will start seeing some text messages labelled differently from 1 July, as new rules come into effect to help reduce SMS impersonation scams.
Under the SMS Sender ID Register rules, messages sent using unregistered branded sender IDs, such as business or organisation names, will appear on mobile phones as ‘Unverified’.
These messages will be grouped in a single thread with other unverified messages, including possible scams. Messages sent from registered sender IDs, including names such as ‘AusPost’, ‘Linkt’ or ‘myGov’, will continue to appear individually with their registered name.
What the SMS change means for Australians
Samantha Yorke, ACMA member, said the change is designed to give people greater confidence that branded SMS messages are legitimate.
“These changes will give Australians an extra layer of protection to help prevent impersonation scams,” Yorke said.
“From 1 July people will start seeing a clear difference between text messages sent from registered sender IDs and those that have not been registered.
“If a message is marked as ‘Unverified’, people should treat it with extra caution and not click on any links or provide personal information.”
Yorke said consumers should check verified contact details online or via bills when in doubt, and only make contact through those channels.
“Telcos are required to let their customers know about the imminent changes, so expect your provider to be in touch,” she said.
Businesses urged to register sender IDs
More than 17,000 sender IDs have already been registered, with that number continuing to rise.
Businesses and organisations that have not registered their sender IDs are being encouraged to contact their SMS provider before 1 July. Those that do not register risk having their messages marked as ‘Unverified’.
“Any business that does not register its current sender IDs by 1 July risks having its messages labelled ‘Unverified’ and ignored, or treated as a scam by the recipient,” Yorke said.
The change comes after Australians lost nearly $18 million to SMS scams last year, with many messages impersonating major brands.
Information, user guides and fact sheets about the SMS Sender ID Register are available on the ACMA website.