You did not win a prize! What to do about spam texts

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – “Congratulations, your number has made you a winner!” is just one text message spammers are sending you.  We’re finding what the best way is to stop unsolicited texts which seem to be happening more and more.

“Spam that is en masse coming from the Internet to cell phones [is important] to report to your carrier. It will go a long way to investigate where that’s coming from and shut it down as quick as possible.”
    
That advice comes from Marc Choma with Canadian Wireless Telecommunications Association.

Choma says when Canada first got SMS technology, providers were quick to put in methods to stop text spam which had become a problem in Europe.  But things are getting more high tech, “This kind of spam is not the kind that is coming from my phone to your phone. It’s not someone sitting at a desk, typing in each individual phone number. It would originate on the internet.”

Choma hopes the industry can stay one step ahead.

You can also get refunded if you pay per incoming text as long as you report them.

But some responsibility comes down to you. He warns never give out your cell phone number unless you need to – as you don’t want it to fall onto a criminal’s list.  Never give out any additional information linked to your phone number either.

Marc Fernandes with the Better Business Bureau has another suggestion, “Ask your carrier if they have a way to block texts coming to you from websites.”

Fernandes was afraid we’d be in for more of these scams because just so many people now have smart phones. But Choma hasn’t seen a spike in the numbers as of late and won’t know if there is one until people report the incidents.

Cst. Brian Montague with the Vancouver Police Department says these are no different from email spam.  “These are either marketing tools or classic scams. People need to be really cautious of anyone telling them they won a prize or won something. Remember, you can’t win a prize if you haven’t entered a contest.”

In other words, don’t let your curiosity get the best of you. Just don’t click on it.

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