Text scams are undermining the Short Message Service (SMS) communications channel in Ireland, with consumers and organisations losing trust in SMS.
Research commissioned by ComReg outlines that in 2022 alone there were:
ComReg estimates the total quantifiable harm to Irish society arising from scam calls and texts at over €300 million per annum.
Many organisations rely on SMS to communicate with their customers and clients, for financial transactions, delivery updates and appointments for example. This business to client/customer messaging is called Application-to-Person (A2P) messaging.
A2P SMS messages often include an alphanumeric originating address (e.g., 234BANK) to indicate who sent the message – this is called the SMS Sender ID.
Unfortunately, fraudsters have in recent years compromised some A2P SMS communications by inserting scam texts into legitimate SMS message threads to deceive customers, and many consumers have been negatively impacted as a result.
ComReg is developing an SMS Sender ID Registry (Registry) to prevent text scams and to protect the SMS channel as a reliable and trustworthy communications channel.
The SMS Sender ID Registry is a secure repository of registered SMS Sender IDs, registered Sender ID Owners (SIDOs), Participating Mobile Service Providers (MSPs) and Participating Aggregators (PAs). Participants must adhere to the rules of operation of the Registry. Later in 2025, text messages with unregistered SMS Sender IDs will be blocked.
The Registry is being introduced following a formal decision by ComReg published in April 2024 (See Decision Instrument D14/24 in ComReg Document 24/24).
Email senderid@comreg.ie now to apply to participate in the pre-registration process that will run from 4 February 2025 until 25 February 2025.
Inform your business customers that they will be required to confirm acceptance of the SMS Sender ID pre-registration by email. Instructions will be provided by ComReg.
SMS Aggregators and MSPs handling bulk SMS messages on behalf of organisations (including third-party organisations e.g., Independent Software Vendors or ISVs) need to pre-register the existing SMS Sender IDs in use by those organisations. This will minimise any potential disruption or delay in registering those SMS Sender IDs in the future.
By engaging in the pre-registration process, you will not need to wait until the full launch of the Registry when individual SMS Sender IDs will be registered on a First Come, First Served basis. There is currently no charge for this service.
Protect your business, your customers and end users. Stay Scam Safe.
Businesses and organisations using SMS Sender IDs in their text messages to customers/clients should check that their SMS Aggregator or MSP has pre-registered their existing SMS Sender IDs with ComReg.
You will need to confirm acceptance of the SMS Sender ID pre-registration by email. Instructions will be provided by ComReg.