Banned sender names

This page provides information about the prohibited sender IDs and guidelines to prevent messaging scams and fraud.

New controls and restrictions have been introduced to protect businesses and customers by reducing the likelihood of messaging scams and fraud. These rules apply whether you are sending SMS using Email to SMS, our portal, our API, or via an automation.

Changes relate to sender IDs, URLs, the use of special characters, and short codes. The following are examples of what will be blocked:

Sender IDs - alpha numeric

Using any of the generic words listed below in your sender ID, or a variation of them, may result in your message being blocked.

1TimePin

2FA

Accept

Access

Account

Active

Admin

Advise

Alert

Allow

Allowance

App

Appointment

Approve

Approved

Auth

AuthMsg

Authorise

AuthSMS

Aware

Bank

Banking

Bill

Billing

Call

Card

Caution

Certify

Check

CloudOTP

Code

Collect

Collection

Confirm

Contact

Control

Courier

Delay

Deliver

Delivery

Discount

Energy

Fraud

Help

Info

InfoSMS

ISA

Key

Loan

Login

Logistics

LogMeIn

Logon

Malware

Message

Mobile

Mortgage

MSG

MsgAuth

Network

NoReply

Notify

OneTimePin

Order

OTP

OTPSMS

Package

Parcel

Pay

Payment

Pin

PinCode

Post

Protocol

Purchase

Ratify

Rebate

Receipt

Refund

Reminder

Repayment

Reply

Respond

Save

Saving

Savings

Scam

Schedule

Secure

Security

Service

Shipping

Sign

Signin

Signon

SMS

SMSAuth

SMSCode

SMSInfo

SMSOTP

SMSVerfiy

Support

System

Text

Trace

Track

Tracking

Trust

TXT

Update

Updates

Validate

Verify

VerifySMS

VerifyMe

Virus

Warn

Warning

Winner

Different forms of the words listed above are also prohibited. For instance, using variations of "VERIFY" like those shown in the table below may result in your message being blocked.

VERIFY

Verify

V E R I F Y

V ERIFY

VE RIFY

VER IFY

.Verify.

-Verify-

_verify_

VERIF1Y

v.e.r.i.f.y

V_ERIFY

VERIF Y

VER IFY

Uerify

V3RIFY

Supported special characters

Most special characters are not allowed by BT/EE in your sender ID, and using them may result in your message being blocked. This restriction only applies to special characters in the sender ID, not in the message body.

This is a current list of special characters that are permitted:

A to Z (Upper case)

A to Z (Lower case)

0 to 9 (Numeric)

(Space)

. (Period)

– (Dash)

_ (Underscore)

& (Ampersand)

Sender IDs – specific brands/organisations

Certain brand names and organizations are prohibited from being used in your sender ID. Using these names may result in your message being blocked.

The following table provides examples, though it is not exhaustive.

If your brand or organization is listed below, we will collaborate with you and BT/EE to ensure you can continue sending messages using your brand/organization name. This also applies if you are a reseller sending on behalf of one of the listed organizations.

Lloyds Banking Group

GDS

Royal Mail

BT

Santander

HMRC

DPD

EE

TSB

DWP

Yodel

Plusnet

Metro Bank

DVLA

TNT

VirginMedia O2

Monzo

Local Councils

Evri

Vodafone

Revolut

NHS Trusts

DX Delivery

Three

Tide

DEFRA

FedEx

Sky

Bank of Ireland

OFGEM

UPS

Lyca Mobile

Barclays

TV Licensing

DHL

Apple

Capital One

Ministry of Justice

Parcelforce

Google

Coventry Building Society

Cabinet Office

CitySprint

Android

Dankse Bank

Department of Health and Social Care

InPost

Meta (Facebook, WhatsApp and Instagram)

Hoares Bank

Student Loans Company

Parcel2Go

iD Mobile

HSBC

National Highways

UKMail

GiffGaff

JP Morgan

ONS

ArrowXL

Lebara

Nationwide

Ministry of Defense

Panther Logistics

SMARTY

NatWest

NCA

Post Office

Tesco Mobile

Sainsburys Bank

Department of Transport

VOXI

Starling Bank

Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency

TikTok

Tesco Bank

Department for Business Energy

Amazon (Not AWS)

Clydesdale Bank

Education and Skills Funding Agency

Snapchat

Curve

Financial Conduct Authority

X, Formally known as Twitter

CAF Bank

TFL

Bolt

Klarna

Prisons and Probation Services

Uber

ClearPay

CCS

Vanquis Bank

Police Force

PayPal

Visa

Mastercard

Atom

Clearbank

Coinbase

Binance

Citi Bank

FICO

Sender IDs - numeric

Messages sent within or to the UK using a numeric sender ID that does not begin with a UK dialling code may be blocked.

If you are sending to the UK from another country, you will need to purchase a UK virtual mobile number (VMN) to do so.

The permitted UK dialling code formats are:

For mobile numbers: 447

For landline numbers: 441, 442, 443, 448

Including a + prefix in the numeric sender ID is optional. If you choose to include it, it will still be accepted.

If any of the following number formats are used, they will be automatically converted to the permitted format (447) mentioned above:

07

0044

00447

The following number formats will not be converted to the permitted formats mentioned above and will be blocked:

0300

0800

Short codes

Short codes that do not adhere to the UK format (five digits starting with 6, 7, or 8) will be blocked. However, upon request, exceptions can be made for 3 and 4 digit short codes, as well as short codes not starting with 6, 7, or 8 (e.g., for Irish companies using codes beginning with 5).

If you require an exception, please reach out to your account manager first.

URLs

Suspected spam or fraudulent URLs included in the body of your message may be blocked, so please ensure that you format your URLs correctly. Occasionally, very new URLs may also be blocked.

What do I need to do next?

Even if you believe your current sender ID complies with these guidelines, please take a moment to verify your sender ID, URLs, and short code format to ensure uninterrupted service.

Please ensure you review and adjust your sender IDs, URLs, and short codes as needed. Note that you will still incur SMS charges if your messages are blocked due to non-compliance with these guidelines.

How can I tell if my message was not delivered?

Blocked messages will be indicated by a failure error code in your reports.

Need more help?

If you need assistance, please contact your account manager or our support team.

Email: support@castmessage.com