PayPal Australia has registered with the ACMA SMS Sender ID Register, making it easier to identify genuine PayPal text messages. Here's what the new protection means – and the simple steps you can take to stay safe from increasingly sophisticated scams.
Scammers are becoming increasingly sophisticated. Using artificial intelligence, they can create convincing text messages, emails, websites and even phone calls that appear to come from trusted organisations.
That's why PayPal Australia has registered its SMS Sender ID with the Australian Communications and Media Authority's (ACMA’s) new SMS Sender ID Register.
It's an important step that makes it easier for Australians to identify genuine PayPal text messages – while making it harder for scammers to impersonate our brand.
What is the SMS Sender ID Register?
From 1 July 2026, Australian businesses and organisations that send branded text messages must register their SMS Sender ID with ACMA. A sender ID is the business name that appears at the top of a text message instead of a mobile number – such as "PayPal".
The initiative is designed to make it more difficult for scammers to send text messages that appear to come from trusted organisations.
Because PayPal Australia has registered its Sender ID, genuine SMS messages we send to Australian customers will display "PayPal" as the sender.
Messages sent using an unregistered sender ID will instead be labelled "Unverified" by Australian mobile carriers. While an "Unverified" message isn't always a scam, it's a signal to stop, think carefully and verify the message before taking any action.
A helpful new safeguard – but not enough on its own
The new Sender ID Register is an important step in protecting Australians from impersonation scams, but no single security measure can stop every scam.
Cyber criminals continue to evolve their tactics, using AI to create highly convincing phishing messages and fake websites that can be difficult to distinguish from the real thing.
That's why the most effective defence is still taking a moment to stop and think before responding to any unexpected message.
How to spot an impersonation scam
- Watch for false urgency. "Your account will be locked," "your parcel couldn't be delivered," "confirm this payment now": legitimate companies rarely demand instant action. Creating urgency is designed to stop you thinking clearly.
- Never share security codes. PayPal will never ask you to share a one-time passcode or verification code with someone else or request that you read out security codes over the phone.
- Verify through a trusted channel. If something doesn't feel right, don't reply to the message. Contact the organisation using details from its official website or app – not the phone number or link included in the message.
- Treat "Unverified" messages with extra caution. A text claiming to be from PayPal, your bank, your telco or another brand that shows up as "Unverified" deserves suspicion, especially if it asks you to click a link or act urgently.
- Think before you click. If you receive an unexpected text asking you to log in or verify your account, don't click the link. Instead, open the PayPal app directly or type paypal.com into your browser yourself.
If you think you've received a fake PayPal message
If you receive a suspicious email, text message or website claiming to be from PayPal, don't click any links or provide your personal information.
Instead:
- Open the PayPal app or visit paypal.com directly to check whether there's actually an issue with your account.
- Forward suspicious emails claiming to be from PayPal to phishing@paypal.com.au.
- If you believe your PayPal account has been compromised, change your password immediately and contact PayPal Customer Support.
Scammers will continue to adapt their tactics. New protections like the SMS Sender ID Register make impersonation more difficult, but the best defence remains the simplest one: stop, check, and only act when you're confident the message is genuine.
For more information on the ACMA SMS Sender ID Register see this article.
For more information on how to avoid scams visit Scamwatch.
The PayPal Australia editorial team.