Ofcom has proposed new rules to protect mobile phone users from messaging scams. Fraudsters can exploit mobile messaging services to reach victims on a massive scale. They may use this to manipulate victims into making payments or sharing sensitive information. People and businesses lose money and suffer either nuisance or distress as a result of scam messages.
According to Ofcom, half of UK mobile users said they had received a suspicious message between November 2024 and February 2025 via text or iMessage. An estimated 100 million suspicious calls were reported to mobile operators through the 7726 service in the year to April 2025.
Mobile providers have already taken some steps to identify and disrupt scam messages, blocking around 600 million each year.
To tackle person-to-person messaging scams, Ofcom is proposing that mobile providers must set volume limits for pay-as-you-go SIM cards, block numbers used by scammers, and block scam messages in transit.
To tackle business messaging scams, Ofcom has proposed that providers and “aggregators” must carry out thorough upfront and ongoing due diligence checks, including “Know Your Customer” checks to prevent criminals from sending mass texts and “Know Your Traffic” checks should be completed, including reviewing account activity and investigating reports of fraud. Providers must prevent the use of fake or misleading alphanumeric sender names by corroborating Sender IDs, which show who a business mobile message came from, against information gathered about the business. They must also maintain a policy on sender ID lists and generic sender IDs like ‘‘customer service’.
Mobile operators must also apply strong incident management processes, to identify and remove criminals who are using business messaging services and hold companies to account where they have not conducted appropriate checks. They must also act on scam reports from users and third parties to detect and block malicious weblinks and phone numbers.
Ofcom is consulting on the proposals until 28 January and expect to publish its final decision in the summer of 2026.
