Report: Spammers Taking Over Text Messages
As if spammers infiltrating your email were not enough, a study indicates that millions of text-message spams are already in circulation, with many more to come. According to a San Francisco Chronicle article, nearly ten billion text messages are sent by US cell phone users every month, leading spammers to tap into the trend and target younger cell phone users who send the highest number of texts.
Heidi Flato, a spokeswoman for Verizon Wireless, agreed that, “Spam is a growing concern in the wireless realm.” Verizon filters up to 50,000 spam messages every day before they can reach customers’ cell phones.
While email spam may simply be an annoyance, text message spam carries with it a ten cent charge, regardless of whether the message is read or unread, solicited or unsolicited. Unless consumers are comfortable with wireless companies reading each of their texts before arrival, there is little that the companies can do to hinder the messages. However, William Baker, a Washington attorney and expert in telecom law, claims that they can do more to alleviate some of the costs of wireless spam.
The FCC prohibits the sending of unwanted “commercial messages” to cell phone users, but the rule does not apply to any company with which a consumer has had a prior relationship, thus allowing the spam to get through. Downloading ring tones, voting for reality show contestants, and playing wireless games are actions that commonly activate spamming.
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