My land line went several days last week without a robocall, so maybe the government crackdown helped. Then again, the election is over, and that may have reduced the number.
And now there are robotexts to contend with. But here's some good news:
Spam texts make up less than 3 percent of the total number of SMS messages sent, according to CTIA, a wireless communications industry group. But with nearly 1 trillion texts sent by Americans in 2017, that means the number of unwanted robotexts is still substantial. ...
The FCC recently voted on new rules that ban fraudulent text messages by closing a loophole in the Truth in Caller ID Act, which banned “spoofing” phone numbers. It is illegal to send unsolicited commercial text messages. The FCC said it was cracking down on illegal robocalls and texts by fining the responsible people and giving the cellphone carriers more power to block them.
But it can be difficult to stop unwanted messages. Just like with robocalls, there are wanted robotexts from legitimate businesses. And people sending the spam may not be in the U.S.
In the meantime, there are ways to minimize the robotext annoyance.
Short solution: Don't reply or click on any links in an unwanted text, and block phone numbers that send them.
Then there's Simjacker, a “'spyware-like code' that co-opts the target device’s SIM card.” Although they haven't hit the U.S. yet, that doesn't mean they won't.
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3:24 PM 11/11/2019
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