Forbidden message categories for SMS and MMS in the US and Canada

Created by Stefan Perchinkov, Modified on Thu, 10 Oct at 7:03 AM by Stefan Perchinkov

This Messaging Policy applies to all accounts using Referins Phone Systems (L.C. - Phone). All outbound messages from your account must comply with our SMS and M.M.S. Messaging Guidelines. The following messaging use cases are prohibited on SMS or M.M.S. in the United States or Canada.

The information below applies to extended code messaging with the rollout of the new A2P 10DLC system, in addition to the shortcode and Toll-Free messaging. Lastly, we have suggested alternatives for conducting certain unlawful use cases.

WARNING

Policy violation will lead to the suspension of SMS/MMS capability for the account.

Forbidden message categories for SMS/MMS in the U.S./Canada

Please Note:

Any use cases that violate this policy will not be allowed on the Referins ISV platform, regardless of number/sender type or destination country.

Category	Examples	Notes
High-risk financial services	Payday loans Short-term high-interest loans Third-party auto loans Third-party mortgage loans Student loans Cryptocurrency	"Third-party" means originating from any party other than the one which will service the loan.
Third-party lead generation services	Companies that buy, sell, or share consumer information.
Debt collection or forgiveness	Third-party debt collection Debt consolidation Debt reduction Credit repair programs	"Third-party" means originating from any party other than the one owed the debt. For example, a hospital could send messages regarding bills for its patients, assuming they opted-in to receive messaging.
"Get rich quick" schemes	Work-from-home programs Risk investment opportunities Pyramid schemes	This differs from outreach about employment due to compliant opt-in practices, messages from brokerages to their members, investment news alerts, or other investment-related messages.
Illegal substances	Cannabis (United States) CBD (United States) Prescription drugs	Cannabis is federally illegal in the United States. Cannabis businesses will not be permitted to use SMS/MMS messaging in the U.S., regardless of message content. CBD is federally legal but not in some U.S. states, so U.S. carriers do not permit messaging related to CBD. Offers for drugs that cannot be sold over the counter in the U.S./Canada are forbidden.
Gambling	Casino apps Gambling websites	Gambling traffic is prohibited in the U.S. and Canada on all number types (Toll-Free, Short Code, and Long Code).
"S. H.A.F.T." use cases	Sex Hate Alcohol Firearms Tobacco	While Tobacco traffic is prohibited on Toll-Free, it is allowed on Short or Long Code, as long as proper age-gating procedures are in place. Alcohol traffic is allowed on Toll-Free (U.S. only), Short Code, and Long Code, as long as proper age-gating procedures are in place. Firearms and Vaping-related traffic are prohibited.

My use case is listed as forbidden. What can I do?

If your use case is listed above as forbidden for SMS and MMS messaging in the US, you can explore other marketing channels.

Using LC Email is an option for many of the above use cases. For example, cannabis - or CBD-related messaging may be conducted via email, Facebook, Instagram, etc., as long as you have proper age gating in place and are sending toward recipients in a locale where the substance is legal.