How do I stop this flood of incoming texts to my cell phone?

[BobTheCow]

>>>MINOR UPDATE TWO WEEKS LATER (http://www.automags.org/forums/showthread.php?p=2144610#post2144610) <<<

I'm on Verizon, I have a Samsung cell phone, nothing fancy. Out of nowhere about 10 minutes ago, I got the following text:

Message from: 265061
STCRegulation: (using AOL IM)
Reg.1.1.03 Hallucinations. Please return to Reg.
(You can reply to this message)

Then maybe a minute later, this one from the same sender:
Reg.1.2.03e2 Hallucinations. Please return to Reg. Second Notice e2

So I replied, asking "What is going on? Who is this?" As well as adding "STCRegulation" to my AIM buddy list and asking the same thing.

Since then, I've been getting bursts of the following message on my phone from the same sender:
Error 156. Please do not send information to this kiosk. Thank You. Refer all inquiries to Reg.

I've tried the "Block address" option, but they keep coming in. I've probably gotten a dozen texts in the past ten minutes from whatever/whoever this is. I have no idea what any of this means, or what the hell is going on. Does anybody know what this is, or how I can stop it? These are costing me 10c a piece! :(

e: Google isn't turning up anything for STCRegulation or anything else obvious.

[MarkM]

You got a spam text and made the fatal error that you probably follow fine with emails....you replied. Get in contact with your service provider and get them to intercept the text.
I kept getting news texts from out of nowhere, (to reply to the number came back with an invald number but after thinking about it I worked out that my number was harvested from a friend using a website to send me free texts, free doesn't always mean free ;)) coincidently the last text I got was on 9/11 with the Twin Towers being hit but I had already been in contact with my phone service provider and they said they couldn't do anything but strangely the Twin Towers text was 4 or 5 days after I contacted them and since then no news texts have arrived to my phone. My airtime deal means I don't pay to receive texts unless I am roaming and I would never have an airtime deal that meant I paid to receive texts (currently I have to pay for voice messages but I have that switched off)

[sniper1rfa]

You got spammed. Its just like email, only now they are attacking your phone, too. The big mistake was replying. :P


Uhm, contat your service provider, see what they can do about it. Probably nothing.


Its a pain that there are enough ****ty people out there that we need spam filters on our phones. :cry: :shooting:

[ThePixelGuru]

I don't think you have to pay for incoming texts, just ones you send yourself. Call your service provider, though.

[rkjunior303]

Call your mobile provider. They can pull the record of the SMS page and see where it's coming from, then they can block it on their end. We have to do it all the time here at Nextel.

[warbeak2099]

I've got the same problem... well it's my friends texting me though hehe. I still can't figure out how to block all incoming texts. I don't have the free texting so yea we do have to pay 10c per text whether we send it or we recieve it. It sucks. I don't even like texting, what's the point?

[IronCore]

I remember that we have to apply for a "do not call list" or something like that in our state. Its a list that blocks your number from telemarketers, as we used to get a regular call from 8pm on to midnight, cell phones are also included. Hope that your state has something similar - Good luck.

[Vex]

I just had those type of messages blocked from my phone by Sprint. I called tech support and they were able to trace the messages to a website then they entered my number and opted out of the service. It's working so far...

[rkjunior303]

The Do-Not-Call list for cell phones is a myth. It's illegal for telemarketers to call mobile phones.

[Thordic]

Yeah if you get telemarketing calls on your cell and you inform them that it is a cell phone they apologize in a hurry, I've noticed.

[rkjunior303]

If you put your cell phone number as your "home" or "primary" number, and it ends up on a list -- that's one thing -- but they can't arbitrarily call a cell phone.. Nor will ANY cell carrier sell their numbers to telemarketers, due the FCC Regulations. Only time you'll get one is if they don't know it's a cell -- because you've listed it as your home number on some list somewhere.

[skife]

Call your mobile provider. They can pull the record of the SMS page and see where it's coming from, then they can block it on their end. We have to do it all the time here at Nextel.


really, i keep getting texts from some weather place, i've talked to nextel twice and they said they can't do anything about it but shut off my text messaging.

[BobTheCow]

*sigh* I thought this went away, and I haven't been able to get to a Verizon store because I'm at college without a car... I go home this weekend, so I was just planning on taking care of it then since I hadn't gotten any new texts for a while.

Anyway, this just came today (split into two messages since it was too long for one) from the same place as before:

KELLY, RYAN M. This is your last and final notice. Any actions that result from your failure to comply to this notice will not be the responsibility of this company. May God be with you.

The combination of them knowing my name and the "May God be with you" part is, well, weird, to say the least. Plus, I still don't know what exactly I'm supposed to be complying with. I guess this is just a bump for anybody who may have a clue... any ideas?

(And, no, I didn't sign up for any of those stupid texting services you see commercials for at 3 in the morning on Comedy Central)

[rkjunior303]

Call Customer Service. They can do the same thing (sometimes more) as the store.

[PyRo]

Yeah call customer service *611 from your cell phone. In my experiance they are much more friendly and helpfull then the people in the stores. They'll probably take the charges for those messages off your bill without much of a fuss, the stores won't.