By Mark O’Neill
This article in the New York Times really struck a raw nerve with me because it is a touchy subject in my life at the moment. The article is about spammers who are moving their harassment from emails to the cellphone (or mobile phone if you are in Europe). Never a day goes by without my phone buzzing with the latest spam SMS message. In fact the last message was five minutes ago so I am still fuming a bit.
The biggest offender in my case is, ironically enough, my mobile phone provider! T-Mobile is sending me countless SMS messages getting me to change calling plans, telling me of new promotions, and on and on. I keep calling them to complain ferociously (and trust me, I am a ferocious complainer). But still they keep on coming….it’s getting to the point where I am about to change phone providers. But who’s to say it will be any better with the next crowd?
I have also had spam SMS messages from German pornographic phone numbers, the kind of which normally flood the television stations late at night. How they managed to get my mobile phone number I have no idea.
The biggest problem with mobile phone spam seems to be that, unlike email spam, there’s no filtering in place. There’s no “mark this as spam” button to stop it coming through in the future. Plus, some plans make you PAY to accept these messages! Luckily I don’t pay to accept SMS messages so I am not suffering financially otherwise my Scottish blood would be really boiling!
Do you suffer from cellphone / mobile phone spam? If so, what have you done (if anything) to stop it? What kind of spam have you received?