Not receiving texts from abroad

[willmow]

I am experiencing an odd issue that is seriously hampering my ability to verify/confirm things like identity, and thus run my daily life:

Issue: certain transactions conducted here in the UK via mobile apps require me to confirm my identity (or email/phone), e.g. banks, digital signature providers, mountain rescue organisations... To do this, the organisation/company sends an SMS text message with a code, which I must enter in the app. This works faultlessly if the organisation is in the UK (using a UK app), but I receive no such texts if the organisation is in (say) Switzerland (and I'm using their app). Something stops these texts from getting through. It happens time and again and with a variety of apps/organisations. 

Can anyone shed any light on this frustrating behaviour? It feels like it's security related. It's not my phone, as it happens on two different ones.

[Barb18]

While in Portugal, I talked with gov services and they insisted that international SIM cards could receive their messages, which is clearly not true.
I had a Portuguese pay as you go sim for this before. However, they know make you pay a certain amount if you don’t top up/use the sim after a few months, which is ridiculous. 
As you said, the only solution would be for the Portuguese government to change it on their side, which is extremely unlikely to happen.

[willmow]

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@st0rmcloud wrote:

So you peer your Swiss PAYG eSIM with EE and it works? Interesting.... my Austria eSIM will not work with EE here, but does with other networks. I'm surprised yours works with EE as it shouldn't according to that list (unless your issue does not relate to one of the blocked words).

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We are getting into technical realms I am not qualified to comment on! All I know is that the Swiss eSIM number, which I obtained from the network 'Salt', is automatically paired (not peered 😉) with my primary network EE. Maybe I was lucky with my choice of networks? The point here is that the Swiss bank is now sending its SMS messages to a Swiss number, not to a UK number. Because of this (I'm now guessing...), the EE anti-spam firewall is not blocking them. Foreign SMS to foreign number: not blocked. Foreign SMS to UK number: blocked. All this is guesswork!

[willmow]

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@bristolian wrote:

Legitimate senders who find themselves blocked, can easily be advised of the requirements to be whitelisted. If those senders choose not to act on that advice, the issue is with them.

 Yes, that is my understanding. EE unilaterally installed the firewall and issued guidance to bona fide providers as to how it can be overcome. But all that side of things is beyond my ken.

[willmow]

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@st0rmcloud wrote:

Therefore, for all intents and purposes, there is nothing wrong with the source number, but instead how it's accepted on EE network. The responsibility here is clearly not on the owner but the blocker in the middle. EE needs to resolve this (especially as they can add the source number to a whitelist, but won't).

You are missing the point, I think. There used to be nothing wrong with the source number, but now there is since EE installed its anti-spam firewall (the "blocker in the middle"). EE is putting the responsibility for allowing SMS messages through on the (foreign) SMS providers - they have to add some code to their messages. My reading of the situation is that EE will not change its firewall, since (they say) it is blocking vast numbers of spam messages.

[MI6Agent]

I would like to know if your problem with international SMS still exists?

[MI6Agent]

Nothing with VPN. It is SMS no need WiFi it’s a very painful situation 

[MI6Agent]

It’s the other country especially Switzerland organisation trying to send me SMA but it doesn’t work at all. I receive nothing and now I can’t buy transportation tickets as it needs SMA validation 

[MI6Agent]

No, stop asking me to connect to WiFi it’s is SMS not WiFi issue 

[willmow]

You ask if my "problem with international SMS still exists". No, because of my workaround. Have you not followed this thread? In a nutshell, I installed an eSIM with a Swiss number provided by a Swiss network. End of problem.

[bristolian]

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@willmow wrote:

Have you not followed this thread?

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Unfortunately, this is one of the problems when users find a dormant thread from months/years ago with similar symptoms to theirs - and tack onto it with something broadly along the lines of "me too"!!