diff --git a/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatBalloon.cs b/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatBalloon.cs
index 5c2afc6a2..2829c8781 100644
--- a/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatBalloon.cs
+++ b/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatBalloon.cs
@@ -9,6 +9,7 @@
 using FSO.Client.UI.Controls;
 using FSO.SimAntics;
 using FSO.SimAntics.Model.TSOPlatform;
+using FSO.Common.Utils;
 //using System.Speech.Synthesis;
 
 namespace FSO.Client.UI.Panels
@@ -94,7 +95,7 @@ public void SetNameMessage(VMAvatar avatar)
 
         private string SanitizeBB(string input)
         {
-            return input.Replace("[", "\\[");
+            return BBCodeParser.SanitizeBB(input);
         }
 
         private void TextChanged()
diff --git a/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatDialog.cs b/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatDialog.cs
index f1cf0c6d9..fb4d19203 100644
--- a/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatDialog.cs
+++ b/TSOClient/tso.client/UI/Panels/UIChatDialog.cs
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@
 using FSO.Common.Rendering.Framework.IO;
 using FSO.SimAntics.Model.TSOPlatform;
 using FSO.Client.UI.Panels.Chat;
+using FSO.Common.Utils;
 
 namespace FSO.Client.UI.Panels
 {
@@ -359,7 +360,7 @@ public void RenderEvents()
 
         public string SanitizeBB(string input)
         {
-            return input.Replace("[", "\\[");
+            return BBCodeParser.SanitizeBB(input);
         }
 
         public string CleanUserMessage(string msg, VMChatEvent evt)
diff --git a/TSOClient/tso.common/utils/BBCodeParser.cs b/TSOClient/tso.common/utils/BBCodeParser.cs
index e107a3df8..cab3fe657 100644
--- a/TSOClient/tso.common/utils/BBCodeParser.cs
+++ b/TSOClient/tso.common/utils/BBCodeParser.cs
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ public BBCodeParser(string input)
 
         public static string SanitizeBB(string input)
         {
+            if (input.LastOrDefault() == '\\') input += ' ';
             return input.Replace("[", "\\[");
         }
     }