If you’ve received a suspicious email claiming to be from the Home Office (e.g. a password reset, security alert, or urgent SMS action) and you think your SMS account may have been compromised, act immediately. Follow the steps below to protect your sponsor licence.
🔐 Step 1: Secure Your SMS Account Immediately
As soon as possible:
Log in to the Sponsor Management System (SMS) directly
Always access SMS via www.gov.uk — never through an email link
Change your SMS password
Use a new, unique password that is not used anywhere else
➡️ If you can’t log in, move straight to Step 3.
🔑 Step 2: Secure Related Accounts
If the same password was used elsewhere:
Change passwords for:
Email accounts
Any shared admin or immigration systems
Check whether other Level 1 or Level 2 users may be affected
⚠️ Your email account is especially important, as it can be used to reset SMS access.
🔍 Step 3: Check for Unauthorised Activity in SMS
Review your SMS account for:
Changes to Level 1 or Level 2 users
Unexpected CoS assignments
Changes to organisation details
Reports you didn’t submit
❗ If you see anything you don’t recognise, stop and move to Step 4.
🚨 Step 4: Escalate Immediately
Inform your internal Sponsor Licence Owner / Authorising Officer
Contact Borderless Support as soon as possible
If you believe licence misuse has occurred, Borderless can advise on next steps with the Home Office
⏰ Time matters - early action can reduce licence risk.
⛔ What Not to Do
Do not click further links in suspicious emails
Do not reply to the sender
Do not share passwords, verification codes, or screenshots containing credentials
🛡️ How to Reduce the Risk Going Forward
Treat unexpected SMS password reset emails as suspicious
Only access SMS by navigating directly to gov.uk
Limit SMS access to essential users only
Use strong, unique passwords for SMS and related email accounts
Review SMS users regularly
ℹ️ Important to Know
The Home Office will never:
Ask you to reset your SMS password via an email link
Request login details by email
Pressure you using urgent or threatening language
🚩 If an email creates urgency, that’s a red flag.
ℹ️ Borderless Users on Your List Are Expected
Before you escalate a user you do not recognise, check whether it is a member of the Borderless team. Borderless is added to your licence as a Level 1 user so we can carry out sponsorship work for you, and the same name can appear more than once while a request is waiting for a Home Office decision. Borderless users on your SMS account explains what those entries look like and what each status means. If a name is not ours, follow the steps above.
Think your SMS account has been compromised or need help checking? Open the Support tab at the bottom right of your screen to contact our team immediately.