New Era for Aussie Texts

Starting July 1, Australians will experience a change in how text messages appear on their mobile devices, aimed at combating SMS scams. The initiative, introduced by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), involves the implementation of the SMS Sender ID Register rules. Under these new regulations, text messages sent from unregistered branded sender IDs will be marked as ‘Unverified’ and grouped in a single thread along with other unverified messages.

ACMA member Samantha Yorke highlighted the benefits of the new system, stating that this would bolster consumer confidence in distinguishing legitimate messages from potential scams. Yorke explained that messages from registered sender IDs like ‘AusPost’, ‘Linkt’, or ‘myGov’ would continue to appear individually, clearly labeled with their authenticated names. She emphasized that the changes would provide an additional layer of protection by preventing impersonation scams.

Yorke also advised the public to exercise caution with messages labeled ‘Unverified’, recommending that they refrain from clicking links or providing personal information through such texts. For verification, she suggested checking for contact details online or through official communication from service providers. Telecommunication companies have been tasked with informing their customers about these changes.

As of now, over 17,000 sender IDs have been registered, and the numbers are increasing daily. Businesses and organizations are encouraged to contact their SMS providers to register their sender IDs before the July 1 deadline to avoid their messages being labeled as unverified, which could lead to them being ignored or mistaken for scams. Last year, Australians lost nearly $18 million to SMS scams, with many fraudulent messages posing as major brands.

More information, including user guides and fact sheets, is available on the ACMA website.