Dealing with SPAM text messages to mobile

I have two numbers: an o2 PAYG number (which I rarely use) and my Orange contract number.

I just received a standard SPAM text on my Orange number about half an hour ago. The end of which says "text END" to stop the text (the usual splurge).

The text comes from a valid UK mobile phone number. So I thought I would try calling them back. So I did, within 3 minutes of receiving the text. It rang for about 6 times, before going to a Vodafone answer service. So I hung up.

I then called back again, and it went directly to the Vodafone answer service. Evidently, they do not wish to speak to me.

This kind of **** really annoys me. I called Orange customer care who have advised me that the only way I can deal with repeated SPAM texts from the same number is:

1) Change my number (not something I want to do just yet)
2) Go into an Orange store, give them the number of the spammer, and have them block it.
3) Download an App which will block it at phone level. Turns out, there is no such app/blocking mechanism for an iPhone, only for Android (my contract is already over, so maybe I should look at moving to an Android phone?)

How do other people deal with these texts? Is there some regulatory body I can speak with or report such numbers to?

Also, I suspect if you have lower level access to an SMS gateway, you can actually make any text sent appear to come from any number you wish (right?) - which means this text may not have even originated from the mobile number it appears to have come from.

Thanks in advance for any help/advice on this matter.

Personally, I just ignore them.

Fair enough.

In reply to a post by mixt:

Also, I suspect if you have lower level access to an SMS gateway, you can actually make any text sent appear to come from any number you wish (right?) - which means this text may not have even originated from the mobile number it appears to have come from.

Correct.

Ignoring them is really the only way to deal with them. Texting or calling the numbers back is generally (one way) how they confirm the number is "used" and will then continue to send you rubbish.

It's possible to also check the status of a text from the SMSC it was sent via, to see if it was delivered to handset or failed.

Some networks can block numbers at that level, others cannot. Changing the number may help but sooner or later, you'll get them again.

Matt

Ok then. So this leads nicely onto another question.

Does Android, or any available app for Android, have a mechanism for dealing with spam texts? Like, for example, maybe I don't want to be alerted (phone vibration / screen message) when I receive a spam text. I'd rather it silently get put into a "low priority / deal with it later" msg folder.

Gmail has the ability for you to filter email on particular words, and classify it with labels etc (it also has an entire underlying platform for identifying spam email, but I doubt there is anything that complex for SMS messages yet). Is there any such filtering mechanism available on Android phones, where custom rules can be setup to filter SMS messages into particular folders based on keywords present in the message? And also to customise alerting for such SMS messages?

Sure, I can ignore them. But they are invasive and intrusive. It would be so much nicer if they could be dealt with with the same disregard as the spammer.

PS - Even something as simple as, if the number of the text has come from is recognised contact in the phone's address book, allow normal alerting. If it's not recognised, don't alert or vibrate. This would solve the problem entirely.

Edited by deleted (Sat 26-May-12 17:05:41)

In reply to a post by mixt:

Sure, I can ignore them. But they are invasive and intrusive. It would be so much nicer if they could be dealt with with the same disregard as the spammer.

The problem as you say, *you* have no way of knowing if the originator number is the real source. Like spam, that can be set to anything, (or any number or text string).

If it is a real mobile number, it could simply have been loaded in to a SIM bank and used for bulk sending. Many networks don't require you to register a SIM on PAYG before it works. I believe Orange are still the only network that only enable a SIM once registered.

Matt

See my PS message that I added to my post:

PS - Even something as simple as, if the number of the text has come from is recognised contact in the phone's address book, allow normal alerting. If it's not recognised, don't alert or vibrate. This would solve the problem entirely.

Can Android do this?

No idea.. i'm in the Apple house, not Google

A quick Google search gave this:

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.mr...

No idea how good but seems to get good reviews.

Matt

I was going to suggest looking for an app until I read that it wasn't an Android phone! Are you sure there aren't any for an iPhone?

Does the iPhone have an option to send a particular number straight to 'voice mail'?
Android has this option and it works well stopping nuisance calls from bothering you... EDIT (Ah this is for Texts! Back to looking for an app!)

Edited by b4dger (Sat 26-May-12 17:10:10)

Nice, I shall take a look. Might swade me to move to Andriod then. The whole tethering thing with iPhone is a complete joke - Orange charge extra if you tether the device. Andriods do not suffer this problem.

Does the iPhone have an option to send a particular number straight to 'voice mail'?

Don't think so. But this doesn't solve the problem. As uno confirmed my suspicions, you can send a text and make it appear to come from ANY number.

The best way forward in dealing with it is to blacklist every number by default (put all numbers in the category of don't vibrate alert, just store) and then for recognised numbers from the phone's address book, alert / vibrate only on those. This is the way forward in my view, and it looks like Andriod has some apps already that do just this, which is nice!

Yep - Android has numerous apps to control/filter your texts/calls.

I've just done a few searches and see Apple seem to be lacking in this...

I thought it was now illegal for the networks to activate an unregistered SIM?

Side issue 1 - you started saying Android but your fingers have since adopted a preferred typing sequence .

Side issue 2 - although I agree this is an issue, General Broadband Chatter? Nowt to do wiv it guv!

There is some sound advice in the responses so far (e.g. don't reply to the text, don't waste your time/money calling the number). One aspect is missing so far.

The process below applies to commercial nuisance calls/texts in general, not just to this particular case.

Any licenced UK telco must have a published complaints procedure, and in order to retain their licence and continue operating, they must take complaints seriously (just ask the Rev Kennard, if you as an AAISP customer haven't already been following his Rants).

Don't expect any telco's (probably outsourced) customer service agents to suggest using this procedure (even if they are trained on the existence of the complaints procedure).

So look up the operator in question (which in this case you already know}, and use their published complaints procedure to complain about the activities of one of their customers. Bear in mind that the offender may be faking the originating number.

Be brief, factual and polite, as it often isn't the telco's fault, but it is almost certainly their responsibility under the rules which govern their business and the contract between them and their customers.

Same goes for nuisance calls from 0845 and other premium/non-geographical UK numbers. If no other options exist (eg PhonePayPlus), use the Ofcom non-geographic number list [1] to find out who issued the number, and complain to them, briefly, courteously and factually.

Complain informally at first, but make it clear that you know what the legal obligations on the telco are.

Eventually the message might get through.

The message will get more effective if the folks abusing any given telco's service start costing the telcos more than the telcos make from them.

I've tried this twice, and twice the calls from the number in question have stopped. May be coincidence, maybe not.

Best of luck.

Btw, give Android a try. PAYG Androids are under £100; last year's low-budget winner was the ZTE Blade/Orange San Francisco, now superceded by the San Francisco II but in the meantime others have allegedly pulled ahead (no recommendations from me).

[1] http://www.ofcom.org.uk/static/numbering/index.htm#s...

I tried calling up Vodafone about this issue, soon afterwards. Finally got through to someone. It sounded like he was on the beach, cause I could hear the sea wind in his mic-piece. Then he says "Hi, sorry, all our systems are down just now, so if you require customer support, I suggest you ring back later." No joke, which means, evidently, their systems had indeed gone down, and the fail-safe mechanism had routed my call onto an "on-call" person.

Crikey Charlie. Are Vodafone really that bad now?!

I then called up Orange about it. Couldn't be bothered waiting for their "press 1 for this, press 2 for that.." splurge, so pressed 0 repeatedly (00000...) about six or so times. Got put through to a human operator in about 10 seconds flat. I must remember that trick the next time I'm in a rush and can't be bothered wading through all their automated audio menus.

Thanks for the informative post, much appreciated.

Not sure if any if this will be of use.

http://www.ico.gov.uk/for_the_public/topic_specific_...

I make a point of always reporting it as I believe the problem of text spam is under reported and is a far bigger annoyance than the ICO realises.

Thanks, useful link! Just took 3 minutes of my time to report it. I don't expect much to happen, but it feels better to have submitted the details to them.

In reply to a post by mixt:

It sounded like he was on the beach, cause I could hear the sea wind in his mic-piece.

Very common call center issue, when you have a fan running..... When its too hot.

We have to keep turning ours off whn talking to customers.

There is such a thing as air-conditioning. Seems that also failed then.