Every day we receive SMS messages from brands, institutions, and services. But how can we be sure that the name shown as the sender really belongs to who it claims to be?
The Alias is the tool that gives identity to messages and, at the same time, the key to protecting us from digital fraud.
In this article, we explore what it is, how it works, and why its regulation has become central to communication security.
What is an Alias
Every day we send and receive SMS messages. Evergreen, practical, and immediate, SMS allows us to reach people quickly – and to be reached just as easily.
Let’s think about it for a moment: how many messages do we receive from different companies with information, promotions, and more?
Well, each of them is likely using an Alias.
An Alias is an alphanumeric identifier that can appear as the sender of SMS (or MMS) messages sent by companies or organizations. So instead of receiving a message from +39 345XXXXXXXX, we receive a message from Amazon, Posteinfo, Samsung…
This seemingly simple detail allows us to immediately recognize the company contacting us, increasing brand recognition on one hand and user trust on the other.
However, even in this context, fraud is not uncommon. For many years now, scammers have abused alphanumeric senders to impersonate real companies and send fraudulent SMS messages (ever heard of phishing? Read more here).
Italy was among the first countries to raise awareness and take action to protect consumers. This led to the introduction of the Alias regulation in 2013.
What the regulation involves: evolution and changes
Based on three fundamental pillars—transparency, responsibility, and security—the regulation aims to combat the illegal use of Aliases and fraud against end users, ensuring certainty about the sender’s identity and greater communication security.
Over time, the regulation has not remained static. It has evolved alongside the way we communicate and, above all, the way scammers attempt to bypass the rules. From the initial experimental phase in 2013 to the latest revisions in 2023 and the TAR ruling in 2024, the Alias journey has been a continuous balance between innovation and protection. On one side, there was the need to make business messaging simple and recognizable; on the other, the need to prevent that same visibility from being exploited to deceive users.
Each update has strengthened the core principle: “trust, but verify.” More precise registrations, supplier controls, and shared responsibility between message senders and carriers. Not just bureaucracy, but the construction of a system of trust, where the sender’s identity becomes certain and verifiable.
All of this ensures that every SMS received with a clear sender name truly is what it claims to be. A small technical detail that touches on a major issue today: digital credibility.
How we help you
rdcom works constantly to ensure compliance with current regulations—not only out of obligation, but out of responsibility toward those who rely on our systems every day for their communications.
That’s why we implement strict and secure measures, such as automated verification processes and proactive traffic management. We also use advanced anti-fraud technologies, including:
- AI systems to identify fraudulent aliases, suspicious content, and malicious URLs
- Integration with external sources and semantic algorithms to prevent smishing and spoofing
We believe in transparency and collaboration: we share data and best practices with operators and authorities, and we provide educational tools to help customers communicate more consciously.
Because a secure digital ecosystem can only exist when every player—from providers to businesses to end users—chooses to do their part.
