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How to identify real and fake messages in this way? Know the easy way to avoid digital fraud
Samira Vishwas | June 23, 2025 11:24 AM CST

How To Identify Fake SMS: Have you ever noticed that some of the SMS that come on your mobile now have a letter written at the end like ‘S’, ‘P’, ‘G’ or ‘T’? Most people ignore it, but this small letter can do a great job for you.

Actually, with the help of these letters you can identify whether the message sent to you is real or a trick of a scammer. Today we are going to tell you the meaning of these letters and the complete information behind them so that next time no fake message can deceive you.

What do these letters tell? (How to Identify Fake SMS)

Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has divided SMS into four categories to protect people from fake messages. Each category of message has a special letter at the end, which identifies that SMS:

1. ‘S’ – Service message

If the message ends with ‘S’, then understand that it has come from a service provider like a bank, telecom company or any official platform. Such as – balance alert, OTP, network update etc.

2. ‘P’ – Promotional message

SMS with ‘P’ are usually to advertisements or promotions. Such as an offer from a mobile company or a discount from a shopping site. If you want, you can ignore them.

3. ‘G’ – Government Message

If you see ‘G’, be alert. This is a message from a government agency. It may contain some important information, warning or update. Such as – Covid alert, voter ID update or information to gas subsidy.

4. ‘T’ – Transaction message

‘T’ means this SMS is to some money transaction. For example – a notification of debit/credit from the bank. With this you can also find out whether the message is real or fake.

How to avoid fake messages ? (How to Identify Fake SMS)

Now that you know the meaning of these letters, the next time you receive a suspicious message, you can just take a look and decide whether it is trustworthy or not. The advantage is that fraudsters often do not put any category at the end of the message or put the wrong one. In such a situation, you can avoid being cheated by being alert.

Why did the government start this system? (How to Identify Fake SMS)

This step of TRAI is to protect people from cyber fraud. Especially in today’s era when cases of fraud through mobile and internet are increasing, this method of identifying SMS can prove to be very helpful.

So the next time you receive an SMS on your mobile, read not just the message but also the letter written at the end. That letter will tell you whether it is trustworthy or not.


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