Spam text messages, what to do?

......I think I already know the answer.....

A couple of days ago, I started getting spam text messages for the first
time. Getting them about twice a day now.

I don't have a text plan, it was never worth it for the 10-15 texts a year I
do.

Now that they've violated my personal space, is there anything I can do,
other than cancel messaging completely? There's no tracking these things
down, right?

Dean

Call Vzw and demand credit for the spam messages so you won't be charged to
be spammed.

--

Scott

in "My Account" on Verizon site go to "Text", select "Preferences" and
block messages sent from the web and/or from emails.
That should only allow through the texts send from somebody's phone.
Hope it works.

Dean wrote:
> .....I think I already know the answer.....
>
> A couple of days ago, I started getting spam text messages for the first
> time. Getting them about twice a day now.
>
> I don't have a text plan, it was never worth it for the 10-15 texts a year I
> do.
>
> Now that they've violated my personal space, is there anything I can do,
> other than cancel messaging completely? There's no tracking these things
> down, right?
>
> Dean
>
>

I wouldn't go so far as to say that you can't track them down. If you
know how to intrepret the message headers, you can find the originating
IP address. You can then complain to the spammer's ISP. If the ISP is
a U.S. Company there's a chance that they might both try to do something
about it and succeed!

If the origin is in the far east somewhere, forget it. The
218.xxx.yyy.zzz net (far east) appears to exist for no other purpose
than generating spam; China, Korea, Singapore, etc, couldn't care less
about your spam problems.

Spammers also use "zombied" PC's. A hacker breaks into your PC, takes
it over and sets it to work sending or relaying spam.

The "MI5Victim" spammer should give you an idea of how difficult it is
to shut a spammer down permanantly. I expect that he will be back
sooner or later.

I just did as you suggested.

I wasn't even aware those options existed.

The messages appear to be e-mails, and I'm pretty sure this will work.

I'm very grateful for the info----THANK YOU!!!

Dean
"gk" <gk.latv@excite.com> wrote in message
news:b5937f70-094b-4708-8125-298b5920b743@q39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
> in "My Account" on Verizon site go to "Text", select "Preferences" and
> block messages sent from the web and/or from emails.
> That should only allow through the texts send from somebody's phone.
> Hope it works.

These appear to be sent via e-mail, and the return address is spoofed, I'm
sure. There are no numerical headers or anything appearing in the message
details.

The last one came in at 320AM this morning, from
cushyw3@century21ofmiami.com . The last few were from
cosmeticsax1@ochsinc.org and
scalawagmz8@broadview.com and solialitesp97@moviealerts.com .

Yeah, right.

Another poster suggested I change my text preferences in "My Account". I've
done so, and I think that'll solve the problem.(Sound of fingers crossing).

Thanks for your input, though.

Dean


"Richard B. Gilbert" <rgilbert88@comcast.net> wrote in message
news:4790ACF6.10306@comcast.net...
> Dean wrote:
>> .....I think I already know the answer.....
>>
>> A couple of days ago, I started getting spam text messages for the first
>> time. Getting them about twice a day now.
>>
>> I don't have a text plan, it was never worth it for the 10-15 texts a
>> year I do.
>>
>> Now that they've violated my personal space, is there anything I can do,
>> other than cancel messaging completely? There's no tracking these things
>> down, right?
>>
>> Dean
>
> I wouldn't go so far as to say that you can't track them down. If you
> know how to intrepret the message headers, you can find the originating IP
> address. You can then complain to the spammer's ISP. If the ISP is a
> U.S. Company there's a chance that they might both try to do something
> about it and succeed!
>
> If the origin is in the far east somewhere, forget it. The
> 218.xxx.yyy.zzz net (far east) appears to exist for no other purpose than
> generating spam; China, Korea, Singapore, etc, couldn't care less about
> your spam problems.
>
> Spammers also use "zombied" PC's. A hacker breaks into your PC, takes it
> over and sets it to work sending or relaying spam.
>
> The "MI5Victim" spammer should give you an idea of how difficult it is to
> shut a spammer down permanantly. I expect that he will be back sooner or
> later.
>

Oh, and PS: Verizon's only suggestion was that I take a text plan, so the
spam wouldn't cost me.....

Never asked if the spam was e-mail or web-based.

Dean


"Dean" <dean173@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:47907f7c$0$9157$607ed4bc@cv.net...
>I just did as you suggested.
>
> I wasn't even aware those options existed.
>
> The messages appear to be e-mails, and I'm pretty sure this will work.
>
> I'm very grateful for the info----THANK YOU!!!
>
> Dean
> "gk" <gk.latv@excite.com> wrote in message
> news:b5937f70-094b-4708-8125-298b5920b743@q39g2000hsf.googlegroups.com...
>> in "My Account" on Verizon site go to "Text", select "Preferences" and
>> block messages sent from the web and/or from emails.
>> That should only allow through the texts send from somebody's phone.
>> Hope it works.
>
>

"Dean" <dean173@yahoo.com> wrote:

> .....I think I already know the answer.....
>
> A couple of days ago, I started getting spam text messages for the
> first time. Getting them about twice a day now.
>
> I don't have a text plan, it was never worth it for the 10-15
> texts a year I do.
>
> Now that they've violated my personal space, is there anything I
> can do, other than cancel messaging completely? There's no
> tracking these things down, right?

In my phone, Motorola E815, under "security" I can restrict incoming
calls to people in my phonebook, that seems to work for me but it may
not be usable for everyone.



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At 18 Jan 2008 09:04:10 -0700 XS11E wrote:

> In my phone, Motorola E815, under "security" I can restrict incoming
> calls to people in my phonebook, that seems to work for me but it may
> not be usable for everyone.

That blocks you from seeing them, but AFAIK, you're still paying for them,
unless Verizon differs from most other carriers who charge for texts when
they hit the network, whether you receive them or not.

Todd Allcock <elecconnec@AmericaOnLine.com> wrote:

> At 18 Jan 2008 09:04:10 -0700 XS11E wrote:
>
>> In my phone, Motorola E815, under "security" I can restrict
>> incoming calls to people in my phonebook, that seems to work for
>> me but it may not be usable for everyone.
>
> That blocks you from seeing them, but AFAIK, you're still paying
> for them, unless Verizon differs from most other carriers who
> charge for texts when they hit the network, whether you receive
> them or not.

There are no text charges on my bill since I made the change.


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