Protect Ourselves: Verified Sender ID

[Gaby]

A welcome initiative in the fight against scam texts..
The Australian Government, through the Australian Communications & Media Authority (ACMA), from 1 July will make changes to the Sender ID. If the branded Identifier is not registred the message will be marked ‘Unverified’, indicating a possible scam text.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) is calling on organisations that use branded identifiers in their SMS messages (such as “myGov” or “AusPost”) to act immediately and register their sender IDs with their telco provider ahead of the launch of the SMS Sender ID Register on 1 July 2026.
The register will provide critical safeguards to help protect Australian consumers and brands from scam messages that impersonate legitimate organisations. Once established, it will help restore confidence in branded SMS communications.
Organisations using text messaging to communicate with their customers must register all their sender IDs by 1 July 2026. From that date, any text message (SMS or MMS) sent using a registered sender ID will be delivered with that ID and can be trusted by consumers.
Unregistered sender IDs will be replaced with the word ‘Unverified’ and grouped together in a single message thread on recipients’ phones. This will alert recipients that the text is a potential scam.
ACMA Chair Nerida O’Loughlin said the ACMA is issuing an urgent call to action for all organisations that use sender IDs, including banks, medical and dental surgeries, retailers, utilities and not-for-profits, to talk to their telco provider as soon as possible.
“Anyone using sender IDs must act now to prepare for these changes and get their sender ID registered to take advantage of the new protections.
“If a legitimate organisation does not register their sender ID, their messages could be mistaken for a scam, disrupting customer communications and affecting brand reputation,” Ms O’Loughlin said.
Participating telco providers are leading the process for businesses to register sender IDs. Businesses can visit the ACMA websiteto check the list of participating telcos, which continues to expand as more are approved to participate. From 1 July 2026, Australian telcos must participate in the register to be able to send messages with sender IDs.
The register rules also require participating telco and other providers to educate consumers about what to expect when the register goes live and inform customers about registration requirements.
This includes registered sender IDs being clearly linked to the registering organisation, such as matching a business name or trademark.
The register is being implemented as part of the government’s Fighting Scams initiative to address scams and online fraud and protect Australians from financial harm.
Information about the new rules and how to register can be found at https://www.acma.gov.au/sms-sender-id-register.

[Gaby]

Received an email from Telstra about the ‘Verified Sender ID’ on SMS/MMS messages, starting today 1 July.

We are required by the Australian Government to make changes to SMS and MMS sender names or how Sender IDs will be displayed from 1 July.
What’s a Sender ID?
A Sender ID is the from name of a message sender, often a business name, that’s displayed at the top of text messages to show you who the message is from. For example, any messages you receive from Telstra will display the Sender ID ‘Telstra’ or TelstraPlus’ depending on what the message is about.
You might start seeing ‘Unverified’ texts, here’s why.
In order to prevent fraudsters mimicking legitimate businesses, the Australian Government, through the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), requires all senders who use a Sender ID for SMS or MMS to register it by 1 July.
From 1 July, Telstra and all other telcos will check if Sender IDs are registered. If they’re not, their SMS or MMS will be delivered from the name ‘Unverified’. An ‘Unverified’ message might mean the sender is not legitimate, so it’s a good idea to stay alert for potential scam or fraudulent messages.
To learn more about what a ‘Sender ID’ is and how these changes will impact you, visit the Telstra website.
What’s next?
This change will automatically take effect and there’s nothing you need to do. If you’re interested in finding out more about how to spot and report scams, take a look at our scam advice.