The ACMA has made new rules that set out how brand identifiers at the head of SMS (such as “myGov” or “AusPost”) can be registered and used in SMS messages.
The SMS Sender ID Register will give Australians confidence that the messages they receive are legitimate and not from scammers impersonating well-known organisations like government agencies, banks and delivery services.
From 1 July 2026, only registered sender IDs can be used in SMS and MMS. Messages with unregistered sender IDs will appear in a single ‘Unverified’ message thread on consumer phones, alerting recipients to a potential scam.
The new SMS Sender ID Register (Application, Access and Administration) Determination 2025 sets out criteria for sender ID applications, restricts the use of sender IDs that could be used to mislead consumers, and requires registered sender IDs to be clearly linked to the registering organisation, such as matching a business name or trademark.
The ACMA encourages organisations that use sender IDs to talk to their telco or message provider about their branded SMS from 30 November 2025 to avoid disruption to their SMS communications in mid-2026.
More information
Telcos and message providers can now apply to the ACMA to participate in the register.
From 30 November 2025, organisations can begin registering their sender IDs via a participating telco or message provider.
The register is being implemented to provide consumer protections against scammers that use text messages with alphanumeric sender IDs (a header used in text messages to show who the message is from, such as ‘ATO’ or ‘myGov’) to impersonate well-known brands.
The register is part of the government’s Fighting Scams initiative to address scams and online fraud, and protect Australians from financial harm.
Visit the ACMA website for more information about the SMS Sender ID Register.