New spam label for text messages will make it harder for scammers to impersonate trusted senders

From 2 November 2026, telecommunications operators must replace the sender ID of a text message with a spam label (‘Roskaposti’ in Finnish or ‘Skräppost’ in Swedish) or block the message if the sender's right to use the sender ID has not been verified. In these cases, the spam label will appear as the sender's name. The change will make it harder for scammers to impersonate authorities, companies and other trusted organisations in text messages. The change will not affect text messages between private individuals.

“The spam label tells the recipient that the sender's right to use the sender ID could not be verified. In future, it will be harder for scammers to make a message appear to come from a familiar company or another trusted organisation,” says Klaus Nieminen, Chief Specialist at the Finnish Transport and Communications Agency Traficom.

Organisations must obtain authorisation for their sender IDs

Since May 2026, organisations have been able to obtain authorisation for the sender IDs they use for text messages through their SMS service providers. During the transitional period, a large number of alphanumeric sender IDs and Finnish telephone numbers in use have already been authorised. However, not all sender IDs currently in use have yet been authorised as required by the process. An alphanumeric sender ID is the name displayed as the sender of a text message, such as the name of a company or an authority.

All organisations that send text messages to consumers in Finland must obtain authorisation for the sender IDs they use.

Received a text message labelled as spam? Treat it as a warning

If the sender's right to use a sender ID cannot be verified, the telecommunications operator may deliver the message to the recipient with the sender ID ‘Roskaposti’ or ‘Skräppost’. The label tells the recipient that they should assess the trustworthiness of the message more carefully than usual.

Be particularly cautious if the message:

• asks you to open a link
• urges you to take immediate action
• asks for personal information, banking details or login credentials
• promises benefits or prizes in exchange for providing information.

“You should treat the spam label as a warning. If a message seems suspicious, do not open any links or provide any information until you have verified that the sender is trustworthy,” says Kimmo Martikka, Senior Specialist at Traficom.

A spam label does not always mean a scam

However, not all messages carrying a spam label are scam attempts. Foreign organisations can also continue to send messages to recipients in Finland using their own local sender IDs. Not all these sender IDs have been authorised in accordance with Traficom's Regulation, meaning that messages may arrive with the sender ID ‘Roskaposti’ or ‘Skräppost’.

For example, if you book a table at a restaurant abroad, the restaurant may send you a request to confirm your reservation. This message may appear with a spam label. You should therefore always assess the trustworthiness of the sender on a case-by-case basis before opening any links or providing information.

Traficom reminds consumers that caution is the best protection against scams. If a message seems suspicious, do not click on any links or provide your personal information until you have verified the sender's identity.