Got a suspicious SMS? Here’s how to know if it’s a scam or real message

The Indian government is implementing new measures to combat spam SMS messages. These measures include adding headers like -P, -S, -T, and -G to identify promotional, service, transactional, and government messages, respectively.

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How often do you receive pointless SMSs that are just advertisements for lottery tickets or real estate companies? In order to prevent these frauds, the Indian government is now developing a number of solutions that will let you know both the source and the contents of the SMS.

Not only that, but these promotional communications must now contain an opt-out option, much like WhatsApp's commercial messaging and advertisements.

The telecom company is addressing the problem of spam calls, but spam SMSs also require attention, particularly since they contain URLs that lead to risky websites where your information can be stolen.

The most recent TRAI notice went into effect in May 2025, and it simply lets you discern between promotional, service, and even government texts. To make this happen, the authorities has mandated that service providers include certain header codes in their SMSs:

“-P" for Promotional

“-S" for Service

“-T" for Transactional

“-G" for Government messages

As you can see here, any message with P, S, T or G at the end of the SMS header will help you identify the content and context of the SMS. For instance, VA-LABPTH-P is a promotional message, while VA-ICICIT-S will be notified as a service SMS.

You will also receive essential SMS warnings from the government during major occurrences, using G as the header alphabet. "Dedicated category for Government messages to ensure recipients do not miss important communications," the TRAI news release said.

SMS scammers have been around for a while, and unless you use third-party tracker programs, it's difficult to tell if the message is from a legitimate source or a fraudster.

Having these headers with the official stamp of the government has to be communicated to millions of phone users in the country, informing them of the changes and how they may now avoid falling victim to fraudsters.

Together with the recent decision to eliminate the 10-number telecall numbers for sales, these new headers go into effect. Thanks to a number of backend mechanisms implemented by the operators, the majority of these promotional sale calls with the prefix 140 will now be automatically stopped.