New rules to stop scam texts are coming into play from July 1, which will mean your messages may look a little different.
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Under the new SMS Sender ID Register rules, business and organisations names will appear on the text while unregistered sends IDs will appear as “Unverified”.
It will give people an extra layer of protection to help prevent impersonation scams, said Samantha Yorke from the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA).
“If a message is marked as ‘Unverified’, people should treat it with extra caution and not click on any links or provide personal information,” Ms Yorke said.
“If in any doubt, check for verified contact details online or via bills and only make contact via that channel.
“Telcos are required to let their customers know about the imminent changes, so expect your provider to be in touch.”
Providers like Optus and Telstra have already begun alerting their customers to be “cautious” of texts labelled “Unverified” following the new regulations.
More than 17,000 sender IDs have already been registered, with that number rising each day.
Businesses and organisations that have not yet registered their sender IDs are encouraged to urgently contact their SMS provider if they want their messages to continue appearing with their branded sender ID after 1 July.
“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.
A Vodafone spokesperson urged businesses to register immediately, to stop their texts being ignored – even if it’s a medical reminder or school alert.
“Australians rely on text messages every day for important updates whether it’s a medical appointment, a bill or a school alert and those messages could stop getting through if businesses don’t register their sender IDs,” the spokesperson said.
“From 1 July, unregistered texts are far more likely to be flagged as unverified and ignored or deleted.”
Last year Australians lost nearly $18 million to SMS scams, with many of those messages masquerading as major brands.
For more information about the SMS Sender ID Register are available on the ACMA website at Sending text messages with your business or organisation name.
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Editor of Australia’s number one publication for over-50s, The Senior. Specialising in health, wealth and lifestyle. Got a hot tip? Email me on [email protected]
Editor of Australia’s number one publication for over-50s, The Senior. Specialising in health, wealth and lifestyle. Got a hot tip? Email me on [email protected]
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