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Disconnecting a number
If you decide to change your phone number:
- Change or remove your phone number on all important accounts. This includes banking, email, social media and subscriptions. If you do this before giving up your old number, you can access any 2-factor authentication requests needed to update your accounts.
- Let people know you have changed your number. Contact your family and friends, doctor, dentist and other essential services. Going back through your old messages can help you prepare a list of who to contact.
Getting a new number
If you get a new number:
- Let family and friends know your new number as soon as possible.
- Avoid responding to unexpected messages if they involve sensitive information like verification codes.
- Consider enabling 2-factor authentication via email or authenticator apps. Messages sent by SMS could be compromised if someone is allocated your number.
- Unsubscribe from unwanted marketing messages meant for the previous owner. This will stop the communications but won’t remove your number from the account. There are rules that companies must follow when sending commercial electronic messages.
- You may continue receiving unwanted messages, or be unable to use your number for account registration because it is attached to the person’s account. In this case, you can ask your telco to assign you a new number. You might be able to request a number that hasn’t been used before.
Unsubscribe rules
Spam rules apply to commercial electronic messages like email, SMS, MMS and instant messages. They include any message that advertises, promotes or offers goods and services.
Every commercial message must have a working ‘unsubscribe’ option that:
- shows unsubscribe instructions clearly
- completes unsubscribe requests within 5 working days
- does not have a fee
- does not cost more than usual (such as a standard text charge)
- works for at least 30 days after the message
- does not require you to give extra personal information, log into or create an account to unsubscribe.
Making a complaint
If you think someone has broken the spam rules, you can find out more about making a complaint.
The spam complaint form allows us to:
- gather the information required
- review the message for any breaches of our spam rules.
If we find potential breaches of the rules where we can identify the message sender, we will write to the business. If you give us your details and permission, we will also ask the business to remove you from its lists.