Mobile Phones: Spamming

Whats the story with spam on mobile phones?

This is my personal phone, and i have never signed up for competitions and such. I've received offers once or twice before, and i've always ignored them, but I was waiting anxiously for a txt Msg today, and when i got one, it was a bloody spam. It really pissied the **** out of me.

Text as below:

"FAF Ltd"

"U have Won 50 Euro To Play For Instant Cash. Call Dub 014580999.

EVERY 6th Player WINS Minimum 50 to 500 Euro! Max Prize 50,000 Euro.

Must optinOptout 1800200961"

Whats the story with spam in Ireland, and responses to this? I work with the Internet, so i'm not interested in putting up with the same crap as with my email.

flywheel

yeah - it's a head wreck :mad: - have a read of this thread:
http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?s=&threadid=128876

BrianG

BrianD

You can give RegTel a call. They are must helpful and will tell you exactly who sent the spam and how you got on their list.

If you are a Vodafone customer you can forward the spam message to 50005 and they will investigate further. There is a "free text" number.

jesus_thats_gre

Originally posted by BrianD

If you are a Vodafone customer you can forward the spam message to 50005 and they will investigate further. There is a "free text" number.

They don't actually investigate each istance. This service has been set up to capture information and highlight incidents to the regulators.

YouAndWhoseArmy

yeah thats happened me a lot lately.. same thing.. never give my number to anything dodgy like that and ive got a couple of messages lately...

its damn annoying...

I spoke to Regtel, and they were quite helpful. Basically there wasn't a whole lot they could do as far as i could see.

They've requested that my number be removed.

As for how my number got into their database, they didn't really know except to say that I must have replied to some "Hotel Break" ad before (which i didn't, but couldn't be completely sure that nobody hadn't used my phone to do so)

So, that's it.

topgold

The chatter on the Open Mailing List offered the same insights.

-- Recent mobile spam is originating from at FAF Ltd. You can opt out by ringing 1800200981 -- just imagine if everyone reading this called that number . . .

-- FAF Ltd could be using a number generator and not a database.

-- Regtel says that companies are allowed to use numbers in their database to allow people to opt in/opt out. If you do not reply to the message they are supposed to remove you from their database.

-- This "procedure" is a bit like "telling a spammer to spam 10m email addresses once and all will be forgiven."

-- It might be interesting to see when Faf Ltd. actually started operations relative to the date at which the new regulations came into force (November 1st 2003 ).

-- If you're spammed, Jon Hanna suggests you might consider the following tactics:

1. Don't delete the Spam.

2. Copy the Spam onto paper or email, send it with a letter to

Seán Sweeney,
Compliance Section,
Office of the Data Protection Commissioner
3rd Floor, Block 6
Irish Life Centre
Lower Abbey Street
Dublin 1
Ireland
Sean_Sweeney@dataprotection.ie

You need to give your postal address, the phone number the Spam came to, details
of any relationship you have had with the company in question, and how
Statutory Instrument 535 of 2003 has been breached.

In the case of Spam SMS it is a breach of section 13, subsection 1, subsection a
(note that as defined in S.I. 535 SMS counts as "email").

You should also state that the phone is that of a natural person, not of a
company (since companies are not protected).

Hanna also points out a good online place to discern who is sending unsolicited text messages: http://www.comreg.ie/numbering/num_sms_search.asp

Hobbes

It is a freephone number? I'd call it and speak very slowly or follow the steps to get off the list very slowly. Ring them a second time again and explain that you gave them the wrong number the first time (take your time), then ring them back and explain that maybe you have changed your mind and want to get back on, then ring back and change your mind again.

If they have your details on file you can use the Data protection act to get it removed. Otherwise they must be war dialing and last I checked that was a no no.

kiffer

yesterday I get a spam sms ... today a spam mms!
thats CRAZY!
what happens if you send a mms to a normal phone?
how much does it cost them to send me an mms ... seeing as it costs me 49cent . i thought spam was only used cos' it was cheap?

any way I think I'm going with the ringing the 1800 optin0out number ... I dont know which that number does ... so I'll be ringing it from a pay phone ... which will only make it more costly for them at the other end.

LoBo

I got that same spam message. I think what's most worrying is that it has the sender no identified only as "FAF Ltd" rather than a number.

Bit hard to check which company is sending it out when that's all you get. (It could have said M. Mouse Ltd if they had wanted)

Anyone rang the 01 or freephone number in the message?

Agent Smith

it gives you a premium rate number to call

Hobbes

got the spam today.. freephone is getting a seeing to.

Our man in Havana

Got a spam the other day from freeads.ie

The number listed is 086 0779662

longword

Shiny new Vodafone contract, brand new number & handset, just ONE WEEK OLD, and I've already received an SMS spam from FAFLTD. Never got one on my Meteor handset.

longword

Gah! To add insult to injury, the handset (a Nokia 5100) died a death shortly afterwards. Won't power on. Flashes the screen and keypad lights but that's as far as it gets.

Victor

Originally posted by Hobbes
It is a freephone number?

Don't network charges apply? Phone from an eircom phone, like maybe a payphone, that way they don't get your home phone number.

FAF Ltd. are not listed as an Irish company at http://www.cro.ie/search/Index.asp

WezzyB

Just saw this on the 02 website

O2 Tackles Spam
February 6th 2004


On 23 December 2003, O2 Ireland launched a new service whereby customers who receive a spam text message can forward the message on to a free shortcode - 50455. Spam is an unsolicited communication that has not been requested by the contacted party and occurs when the recipient has no prior or existing relationship with the sender.

O2 Ireland will then complete a consolidated report with all incidents of spam and forward them onto Regtel and the Data Protection Commissioner for investigation. Legislation passed on 6 November 2003 gave the Data Protection Commissioner the power to investigate and impose fines on companies that send spam text messages. O2 is happy to assist the Commissioner as it does not condone spam text messages to its customer base.

The service is provided free of charge to O2 customers and O2's recommends that in addition to sending the message to 50455, customers also contact the Data Protection Commissioner.

griffdaddy

never get any on meteor

Sleipnir

That's because it's not worth the time/effort/money to spam meteor.

griffdaddy

i'd have to disagree, it would take the same amount of time as any other network, if the spamming source was a meteor based one it'd be free, and meteor has an easy to identify customer base (young people who dont like paying for sms!) so clearly it would be worth the time effort money. maybe o2 and vodafone are selling numbers on the sly?!?:eek:

flywheel

Spam procedure outlined by the operators on their sites:

Vodafone:
Unsolicited Text Messages Procedure

O2:
O2 Tackles Spam

Meteor:
50002 Anti-Spam Alert Service

Originally posted by griffdaddy
maybe o2 and vodafone are selling numbers

and steering clear of the conspiracy theories and sticking to the available facts would be much better...

BrianG

griffdaddy

sarcasm (ahem)

alleepally

if you want to know how they get your number....

If you order a ringtone or a logo from one of the many companies out there that's one way. That's how my number was put on a list. I rang the number up to get off the list and they did BUT I pointed out to them that my ordering a ringtone should not be license to add my number to a database for spam purposes. The operator pointed out their terms and conditions and indeed this particular operators ad DOES say they may send follow up text messages of offers etc.

SO, bottom line in my experience is not to order ringtones etc....

They're far too expensive, fcuking annoying after 3 plays and they spam ya.

nuff said.