In the digital era, the risk of fraudulent SMS messages is high. Many people are deceived by these messages, leading to potential financial losses. Cybercriminals are constantly evolving their methods, making it harder to tell the difference between real and fake messages. TRAI has taken measures to address this by implementing new rules to assist users in differentiating between legitimate and fraudulent SMS messages.
Fraudsters often mimic messages from banks, government agencies, telecom operators, and e-commerce companies. These messages commonly contain links that, when clicked, can install malware or viruses on your phone. This malware can steal your personal information, banking details, and passwords. These details are then used to access your funds.
TRAI has implemented a system to help users recognize SMS messages. Authentic messages will have a sender ID with a suffix:
* **S**: For messages related to banking, telecom services, or transactions.
* **G**: For messages about government schemes or alerts.
* **P**: For promotional messages sent by TRAI-approved companies.
These codes help determine if an SMS is genuine. If a message lacks these codes or contains suspicious links, refrain from clicking on it.