Why Are My SMS Messages Showing as “Unverified”?

If your organisation’s SMS messages are being received as “Unverified” instead of displaying your organisation’s name, Australia’s SMS Sender ID requirements may be the reason.

Australia’s SMS Sender ID Register, administered by the Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA), is designed to help prevent scammers from impersonating trusted organisations.

Since 1 July 2026, unregistered branded Sender IDs used for SMS messages in Australia are replaced with “Unverified”.

But what if you’ve already registered your Sender ID and your messages are still showing as Unverified?

A Sender ID is the name recipients see instead of a mobile number when they receive an SMS from your organisation.

If that Sender ID isn’t registered or recognised correctly through the SMS delivery process, your organisation’s name may be replaced by “Unverified”.

An Unverified Sender ID can quickly become a trust problem.

Australians are encouraged to be cautious about unexpected SMS messages and scams. If a legitimate message arrives from “Unverified”, recipients may:

• Question whether it’s genuine
• Avoid clicking legitimate links
• Ignore or delete the message
• Mistake an important notification for a scam

This is particularly important for government agencies, councils, universities and organisations sending important or time-sensitive communications.

Your Sender ID is part of your digital identity. Seeing a familiar organisation name helps recipients recognise and trust who is contacting them.

Registration may not always be the end of the story.

Swift Digital is aware of cases where registered Sender IDs can still appear as “Unverified”.

In particular, we have encountered issues involving the way spaces and hyphens in Sender IDs are handled through parts of the SMS delivery chain.

For example:

Example Company
Example-Company
ExampleCompany

shouldn’t automatically be assumed to be interchangeable.

Spaces and hyphens can be valid under ACMA’s Sender ID requirements. However, differences in how providers or aggregators process or match a Sender ID can affect whether it is recognised correctly.

Swift Digital has worked collaboratively with the network and messaging providers to investigate these cases and help resolve Sender ID recognition issues.

If your SMS messages are showing as Unverified:

1. Confirm your Sender ID is registered.
2. Check that the Sender ID being transmitted matches what you registered, including spaces and hyphens.
3. Contact your messaging provider if a registered Sender ID continues to appear as Unverified.

If you’re using Swift Digital, talk to our team. We’re familiar with the issue and know what to look for.

No. Sender ID registration and Australia’s Spam Act 2003 are separate requirements.

Organisations sending commercial SMS messages also need to consider Spam Act requirements around areas such as consent, sender identification and unsubscribe functionality.

Swift Digital’s templates help you effortlessly create stunning emails and events communications using our drag-and-drop email and event builder.

You can raise engagement with embedded images, videos, polls, article feedback, and emojis and schedule messages to send at the right time.

Government departments’ unique marketing requirements are covered with Swift Digital, and full compliance with all anti-spam and privacy laws is guaranteed. Swift Digital is also ISO 27001 certified.

Swift Digital is Australia’s leader in marketing automation software and event management working with organisations like the NSW Government, ATO, and companies like Westpac Bank and Qantas.

Find out why we’re the Australian government department’s number one choice for their professional communications and events.

To find out how your business can get the best out of Swift Digital’s platform, contact our team today.

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