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SMS Gets Serious: Fresh Rules for Branded Texts – Russell Kennedy

A Sender ID is the name that appears at the top of a text message, such as “ATO” or “myGov”. If your business sends messages branded with a Sender ID and does not register, your Sender ID will be replaced with the word “unverified” after the deadline, which could undermine customer trust.
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Reason for the change
In just the first nine months of 2025, Australians lost over $13.8 million to SMS scams impersonating trusted organisations. A verified Sender ID aims to restore confidence and curb these impersonation scams.
What you need to do
Register with ACMA by 15 May 2026 or as soon as possible by completing the following steps:
If your business does not use a Sender ID and only sends messages from a phone number, no action is required.

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Gina Tresidder
Gina is a Principal in Russell Kennedy's Corporate and Commercial team, specialising in all aspects …
Andrew Parlour
Andrew is a Principal in the firm’s Corporate & Commercial team and acts for a variety of clients in …
Rory Maguire
Rory is a Principal in the firm’s Corporate & Commercial practice with extensive experience in corpo …
Jonathan Teh
Jonathan assists clients with commercial contracts for business operations through to technology ser …
Jaqueline Wilson
Jaqueline works broadly across the commercial sector advising a range of clients operating in the no …
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