Changes to our GESB text messages

When you receive an SMS (or text) message from a business, organisation or government agency, the sender ID is likely to appear at the top to identify the sender.

The Australian Communications and Media Authority (ACMA) has introduced new regulations about sender ID registration for SMS messages.

Here’s your guide to what has changed, the reasons for the changes and a reminder of how to help avoid SMS scams.

What has changed?

From 1 July 2026, when you receive a message from an organisation, the sender will be either:

• Verified – so the organisation’s name appears as the sender
• Unverified – so the message will be labelled by your telecommunications provider as ‘Unverified’

Under these new regulations, GESB is now a verified sender. This means all SMS messages you receive from us will be listed in your messages as coming from GESB.

These changes will happen automatically – you don’t need to do anything.

Why were these changes made?

Any business or organisation who does not go through the ACMA registration process will have their SMS messages labelled as ‘Unverified’. These changes have been made to help prevent SMS scams.

If you receive a text from an ‘Unverified’ sender:

• It could be from a business or organisation who has not yet registered their sender ID
• It could be a scam message impersonating a trusted brand

The sender ID regulations are designed to help people determine trustworthy senders and help to avoid SMS scams.

Your messages from GESB

If you’re a GESB member, we may send you an SMS for specific reasons. These include to confirm or notify you about an action taken, for example, that we’ve received a form you submitted, or if we are unable to provide your member statement by email or post.

These text messages will appear in your messages as coming from GESB, in the same way someone’s name might appear if you have them in your contact list.

If you receive a message where the wording of the text says it is from GESB but the sender appears as ‘Unverified’ or from a private phone number, this may be a scam.

Important reminder about your security

When we send SMS messages, we will never ask you to provide any passwords, share your verification codes or disclose personal information by text.

If you receive an SMS related to your account which you think could be suspicious, don’t share any information or personal details.

Instead, call us on 13 43 72 or use Live chat to check with your Member Services Centre.

Learn more about our approach to online security.