If you are like the majority of Americans who own a cell phone which can send and receive text messages also known as SMS, MMS, or short mail be prepared for the next wave of SPAM. As if email SPAM wasn’t annoying enough, imagine getting text messages all day long and on top of being annoyed, imagine paying ten cents per each SPAM message you receive.

beep beep, it’s 5:30 AM, you look at your phone and see “-OK here’s a little help, 3 girls to chat with: GOLDIE, MENJFLY, KARINA22. Send her nickname + ur message to 44123, or txt MATCH for more.” At first glance it looks like maybe someone put the wrong number in, nah, It’s freaking SPAM on your cell phone and since you didn’t pay for the $15/month “unlimited texting plan” you just paid 10 cents for it.

The sad part about it, is as a consumer there isn’t much you can do about it other than complain to your cell provider and getting a credit on your statement. Most wireless providers will also happily disable text messaging on your phone. Which isn’t such a great idea if someone you know wants to text message you.

Wireless providers are scrambling to stop this problem, but in the end - just as with email - there will be no way to completely eliminate the problem.

Here’s why the problem is going to get worse:

• More and more people are using text messaging making it more attractive to use for ads.
• Legitimate businesses are using text messaging for marketing (fast food joints, reality TV shows, etc.)
• Disposable phones and getting cheaper, spammers can use these phones until they get cut off, then just go out an buy a new one.
• Email can be converted into text messages, and new portals on the Internet make it easy to send messages in batches.
• Wireless providers have partnerships for premium text messaging services similar to how 1-900 phone numbers work.

How Wireless Providers Stop SPAMers:

• Cutting off customers with large amounts of outgoing text messages. (Human fingers aren’t fast enough to send millions of messages).
• Identifying certain keywords used in SPAM.
• Blocking problematic SMS gateways, and internet IP addresses.

However, many wireless providers are a part of the problem. Some providers willingly send out marketing text messages for “partners” and for their own promotions. As consumers we need to push for legislation and regulation (FCC) to stop or limit this practice. Along with a DO NOT CALL registry we need a DO NOT TEXT registry. Wireless providers should also provide a method for the consumer to view the true point of origin for any text message.

In the meantime here is what you can do to help prevent text messaging SPAM:

• Don’t post your wireless phone number on the Internet.
• Port in your phone number from a landline phone, which helps to stop SPAMers from hitting “blocks” of wireless phone numbers.
• Don’t respond to strange text messages.
• Don’t give your wireless phone number up to enter contests or other gimmicks.
• Report SPAM text messages to your wireless provider.

APA Citation:
Smith, Nathan. M. (2007). Text Messaging SPAM on the Rise.
Retrieved May 16, 2008, from http://www.computer-forensic-technician.com/wordpress/text-messaging-spam-on-the-rise/.