Posted: 1/29/2013 6:55:27 AM EDT
I keep getting texts on my cell w/ brief, vague messages from local and Delaware numbers It's not odd to get a wrong text message now and again, but 3 in a row seems fishy... Is this some sort of data mining or part of a scam? Speed |
Fuck. I texted them all back telling them they had a wrong number and I just found this :Q: A few months ago I got a text message that was clearly intended for someone else, so I texted back that they got a wrong number. Ever since then, I've been inundated with text messages from strangers, at least three or four a day. It's always an out-of-state area code, and the message is always in informal, friendly language as if we were the best of friends. I suspect I fell for some sort of scam when I replied to the original text, but I don't know how it works. Who are these people and why are they texting me every day? A: We posed this question to the Federal Communications Commission, which regulates wireless communication. According to Rosemary Kimball, a spokeswoman for the FCC's Consumer & Governmental Affairs Bureau, this is a new variation on an old scam. It works one of two ways. Either the scammer sends a friendly text message designed to generate a reply, or they simply call your cell phone and hang up quickly, generating a missed call message. The receiver of the call then calls the number back to see who they missed. In either case, the text or call is routed, without the caller's knowledge or consent, to a premium rate telephone line. When you call that line, which often is an overseas number, you rack up huge telephone charges on your phone bill and the person you called pockets some of those fees. A spokeswoman for Verizon told us phone carriers are under no obligation to reverse the charges on a premium rate call, even if you were duped into making it under false pretenses, but some companies will work with you if you file a complaint with the carrier's customer service department. That's generally decided on a case-by-case basis. To protect yourself, never call or text a phone number you don't recognize. In particular, don't call "649," "809," "284," "876," all of which are overseas numbers commonly used because they resemble domestic area codes. If you have no legitimate reason to call such numbers, be proactive and tell your carrier to block all premium rate and/or overseas telephone calls from going out on phones linked to your account. The FCC has a fact sheet about the scam that you can read online here: http://www.fcc.gov/guides/calls-809-649-284-area-codes. Motherfucker I better not see some weird charges on my bill  Speed |