Yesterday, I got a text-message on my cell phone. It was from an email address or a .com address. The text-message was, "Someone sent you a special message visit..." and then it gave a Web address, which I have not visited. Has this happened to anyone else? Are spammers sending out messages via cell phone now by random dialing?
Well, I checked out the site from my computer and it is definitely spam. I wanted to know for sure before calling my cell phone company. They said that I would have been charged an additional fee if I had clicked on the link in the message. Since I didn't, I wasn't charged for it. I think they would have done something if I had been charged for it. I hate it that these spammers have found other ways to bother us.
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
Quote:
Originally Posted by DeBora4BobbyL
Well, I checked out the site from my computer and it is definitely spam. I wanted to know for sure before calling my cell phone company. They said that I would have been charged an additional fee if I had clicked on the link in the message. Since I didn't, I wasn't charged for it. I think they would have done something if I had been charged for it. I hate it that these spammers have found other ways to bother us.
I didn't know that this was happening. What a pain in the !*!*!*!
Since it's text messaging, does it work it's way around the cell phone do-not-call list? Is there anything that your cell provider can do to prevent that company from doing it again? I can only imagine if these companies start doing this to phones that are being used by young kids and they don't have enough sense not to click on these links! Can you imagine some of the phone bills?
When we had Cingular before they merged with AT&T, they would send us voice mail with advertisements. It irritated me so much.
I went to the Do Not Call site to register a complaint, as I hadn't even thought about that! Well, I am 2 days shy of being registered the required 31 days. My number is a new number that we got when my DH was transferred to OK. So, if I get any on March 2nd or later, I can definitely file a complaint and I will.
I didn't know this was happening either, so you can imagine my surprise when I got it yesterday. I was sick and just really didn't care yesterday. Since I am starting to feel like I will live, I decided to call my cell phone company to complain. Then, I thought I'd better go to the site from my computer to make sure it is what I thought it was. Sure enough, it was one of those pill sites trying to get me to buy drugs online.
Oh well, in 2 days, I will be able to file a complaint with the government and the company will have to pay high penalty amounts that will NOT be worth their time to send me the text-messages. I wonder if text-messaging is included in a Do Not Call complaint? I mean, does it only include phone calls and not text-messages or does in include both?
I have gotten spam texts before and also spam texts "supposedly" from my bank asking for account numbers. 2 days after those hit my phone (don't worry, I didn't answer them but I did save them) there was a piece in the paper that identity thieves were doing that bank scam.
Thanks for the info about the Do not call site for registering a complaint about text spammers. If I get any more of them, I will definitely complain. Fortunately I have unlimited text on my phone but if I did not, I'd be paying for all that junk! :P
Location: Originally from the Home of the only 6 times Super Bowl Champs!
Posts: 12,099
This is so scary. I can't imagine the number of people who are going to find themselves in hot water after checking out one of those site. How many people are not Internet savvy and will really believe that their bank is trying to contact them!!
I am guessing that the spammer who sent me the text-message is using a random dialing system. I tried to research whether or not SPS messages were covered on the Do Not Call registry complaints and what the penalty is for making such calls when making a call to a number on the do not call list, but the government's site with that information is down. But, I found on some other sites that the penalty can be up to $11,000 and that SMS messages are covered. But, I am not sure if these sites are reliable or not.
visit..." and then it gave a Web address, which I have not visited. Has this happened to anyone else? Are spammers sending out messages via cell phone now by random dialing?
