The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) says its new SMS Sender ID Register has commenced, in a move aimed at reducing text message impersonation scams by making it clearer whether branded SMS messages are verified.
Sender IDs are the names that appear at the top of some SMS messages to identify the sender, such as a business, government agency or organisation. Under the new arrangements, SMS messages sent using registered Sender IDs will continue to display the organisation’s name.
Messages sent using unregistered Sender IDs must be labelled by the telco carrier as ‘Unverified’, and will be grouped in a single message thread, which the ACMA says should make it easier for consumers to identify potential scams.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the register is intended to provide “an additional prompt” for Australians to check whether a message is legitimate.
“From today, Australians will start seeing a clear difference between SMS messages sent from registered sender IDs and those that have not been registered,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
“If a message is marked as ‘Unverified’ it should be treated with extra caution. It may be from a legitimate business or organisation that has not yet registered its sender ID, or it may be a scam message impersonating a trusted brand.
“Either way, the message is simple – stop and think before you click a link or provide information to the sender.
“We know that SMS messages are used for many important services, including medical appointment reminders, parcel delivery updates, banking alerts and other essential communications,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
Ms O’Loughlin said that while the register grows, messages from unregistered sender IDs are being labelled rather than blocked, in order to allow time for organisations to register legitimate Sender IDs.
“There is no cut-off date for registration and businesses and organisations that rely on branded SMS and have not registered their sender IDs should contact their messaging provider as soon as possible,” she said.
Ms O’Loughlin also pointed to carrier obligations under the register rules, including identifying unregistered Sender IDs, applying the ‘Unverified’ label, communicating changes to customers, and supporting registration of legitimate Sender IDs.
“The ACMA will be actively monitoring industry compliance, with telcos facing court-ordered penalties of up to $250,000 for each contravention of the register rules,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
