stopping sms marketing messages

Little_Vics

Hi

I remember there was something a while ago about how to stop unwanted sms messages? I'm on TPS but that only prevents calls, not text messages, and I REALLY want to stop those annoying companies sending me things about stuff I have no interest in.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Ta

xLV

OneADay

There is a thread someone on this specific subject.

But as a rule I think, if its a spam text, then do not reply.
If its a genuine company, then maybe STOP to make them stop sending you texts - but how do you know its genuine?
So its best to be 100% sure before doing anything.

You can contact your network for advice sometimes.

And you can check http://www.phonepayplus.org.uk/ to see if the shortcode in the text is registered - if it isn't - its a scam - ignore, delete.

Techhead_2

First of all it is illegal to send unsolicited marketing SMS. If its a non-premium text then do NOT reply,you will only confirm your number is active, you can make a complaint through the Office of the Information Commissioner.

If it's a reverse charge (premium) SMS then check the number on the website of the regulator phonepayplus and follow the instructions to cancel the service, get a refund or make a complaint. Do not reply STOP or similar unless instructed to by the phonepayplus site.

orrery

There seems to be real confusion about this. The organisation to complain to is the ICO, which I have already done. I quote from the ICO response:
"Your complaint falls under the Privacy and Electronic Communications
Regulations 2003 (the PECR). Regulation 22 of the PECR says that unsolicited direct marketing text messages cannot be sent to individual subscribers (including sole traders and non—limited liability partnerships) without prior consent."
You don't need to reply to a text message for them to know that it has been received - the network will usually respond with an error if the number is invalid.
Replying with 'Stop' doesn't work - I've tried it. The spam is sent from a PAYG mobile until the network pulls the plug on the line. The next spew will come from a different number.
I've now started responding positively to all these texts. When you get the call explain that, if they don't remove your number then you will continue to respond positively and keep wasting their time. Yesterday,the same operator called me on both my home and company mobile and made me a promise - simply to save her further wasted time - that she would contact the spammers and get both my numbers removed.
regards, Ian

orrery

I've started taking an active stance on these now. The ICO have told me that they have passed my complaint to 'enforcement' but I don't have any high hopes for that.

I now respond positively to each and every text in order to prompt the telephone sales call. I then explain to the caller that I intend to do the same for each and every text and unless they get me taken off the list, then they'll keep on calling me and wasting their own time. I've already had one girl call me twice the same day and admit that these spam text leads are a waste of time.

The problem is that the texts are sent by one company and the responses sold on to another. The only way we can impact this is to make the leads worthless.

I've installed a call blacklister on both my mobiles ('Blackballer Lite' for Nokia and 'Blacklist' on my Android phone - both free). Both can be set to dump 'withheld' numbers to Voicemail and any other number you care to enter on the blacklist. This results in many of the companies calling me repeatedly - currently I have them calling me every half hour in the day on my 2 phones. I don't see any of the calls and they never leave a voicemail. This is wasting huge amounts of their time (without bothering me) and devaluing the leads sold by the spammer.

If you have a smartphone and are suffering these texts, I'd encourage you to join me in making these text spams worthless by doing the same.

volcano99

TPS can do text messages complaint as well, as long as it is one of the latest landline phone that can send and receive text messages ...... but no for mobiles.

Little_Vics wrote: »

Hi

I remember there was something a while ago about how to stop unwanted sms messages? I'm on TPS but that only prevents calls, not text messages, and I REALLY want to stop those annoying companies sending me things about stuff I have no interest in.

Can someone point me in the right direction?

Ta

xLV

volcano99

A few days ago, I had two unsolicited text messages from two different mobile numbers::mad:

The first one is from: 07925480079 offering debt help and claims that they can help me to have 75% of my debt written off. If this is true (too good to be) and also applies to mortgages (dream on ....) , everyone will be falling over it.

The second one is from: 07513407665 offering to claim back £3,250 compensation for the mis-selling of PPI to me:D even though I hadn't bought any.

So I passed as much info as possible to ASA. ASA replied that they can't do anything with only a mobile number and advised me NOT to reply to these messages.:cool: If I want to take it further, I can contact ICO. Well on second thought they can't do anything either because a google search of these numbers did not reveal any link to anybody.

Basically these are PAYG phones owned by certain individual(s) who had just phoned a whole list of sequential numbers to see how many will reply. Then he/she/they will sell those numbers to 'relevant' companies as leads.

I admire your effort to actively deal with these spammers however it will take a lot of people and a lot of time to bring them down.:mad: To save my time, simply do not reply and delete that message. Blacklisting these numbers may not help as they will change their numbers frequently.

Ideally there should be a database that links mobile numbers to network provide available to the public. Then we can report the spammer to his/her network provider who can then disable the offending SIM forever, no more number changing trick:T.

orrery wrote: »

I've started taking an active stance on these now. The ICO have told me that they have passed my complaint to 'enforcement' but I don't have any high hopes for that.

I now respond positively to each and every text in order to prompt the telephone sales call. I then explain to the caller that I intend to do the same for each and every text and unless they get me taken off the list, then they'll keep on calling me and wasting their own time. I've already had one girl call me twice the same day and admit that these spam text leads are a waste of time.

The problem is that the texts are sent by one company and the responses sold on to another. The only way we can impact this is to make the leads worthless.

I've installed a call blacklister on both my mobiles ('Blackballer Lite' for Nokia and 'Blacklist' on my Android phone - both free). Both can be set to dump 'withheld' numbers to Voicemail and any other number you care to enter on the blacklist. This results in many of the companies calling me repeatedly - currently I have them calling me every half hour in the day on my 2 phones. I don't see any of the calls and they never leave a voicemail. This is wasting huge amounts of their time (without bothering me) and devaluing the leads sold by the spammer.

If you have a smartphone and are suffering these texts, I'd encourage you to join me in making these text spams worthless by doing the same.

saintjammyswine

The problem is that you may have accidentaly(sp?) given permission to contact you if you have filled out any form and not checked the box asking for details NOT to be passed on to a third party.

wantmemoney

saintjammyswine wrote:

The problem is that you may have accidentaly(sp?) given permission to contact you

no that's not the problem

the problem is a Industry out of control and useless bloody regulators that are allowing and turning a blind eye to the problem

volcano99

saintjammyswine wrote: »

The problem is that you may have accidentaly(sp?) given permission to contact you if you have filled out any form and not checked the box asking for details NOT to be passed on to a third party.

The real problem is that you don't need to give anybody any consent at all. :mad: What the spammer did was to phone a list of sequential mobile numbers e.g. 07500000000 to 07500000999. Then within these 1000 numbers, a few people will get a spam text message.:(

Without proper control i.e. a regulator that can act, this is going nowhere.:(

Only if the regulator can access the database which links the spammer's SIM card(s) to the corresponding mobile provider and the regulator can 'force' the mobile provider to disable that SIM card permanently, this annoyance will disappear.

Currently no mobile network provider will cut off any 'customer' who pays to send out thousands of text messages.

wantmemoney

volcano99 wrote:

Currently no mobile network provider will cut off any 'customer' who pays to send out thousands of text messages.

you have hit the problem absolutely on its head.

The regulators are in the pocket of the Networks and the Networks make millions each year for delivering the bulk sms 'marketing' for the spammers