Spam phone texts

juniper

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Got a spam iPhone text a couple of days ago - someone I don't know and my husband doesn't know "recommended you check out your photos on Ever. Link expires tomorrow. <link>"

I did not click on the link. I do not know who this person is or how she got my phone number. I looked it up and it's listed on some scam websites.

How do spam places get hold of my phone number? I don't give it out much - not to anyone I don't know EXCEPT for when I'm listing stuff on craigslist. So maybe a connection there somehow.

/hate spam
 
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AW Admin

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It's possible it was via CL, but more likely someone's using software to dial cell phones in numeric order;
6
i.e.
555-555-5555
555-555-5556
555-555-5557

etc.

You should be able to block that user from further texts.
 

Jason

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It's possible it was via CL, but more likely someone's using software to dial cell phones in numeric order;
6
i.e.
555-555-5555
555-555-5556
555-555-5557

etc.

You should be able to block that user from further texts.

+1 to this. I actually work in telephony, and that's more than likely what it is. We call it a random dialer, even though the dialing is far from random...you can also *67 to get a call trace from your provider if they support it (using our hardware ;) )
 

Jason

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You can always block the number that called you. It may be an erroneous block, but you can block any number that calls you.

*67 is call tracing where the service provider can look at the LATA and where the caller was routed from in their translation tables. Most don't offer it anymore because call trace logs are tedious, time consuming, and thus costly to provide. If it's really bothersome, you can get a court order, have it sent to the li security officer for the service provider, which would then require the trace, but those are costly.
 

robjvargas

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A great number of carriers still offer Email-to-SMS gateways, so text messages would be generated by sending to <phone-number>@<email gateway>. Here's a site that lists such gateways.

Of course, I think those messages show as being from an email address, not a phone number.

Which begs the question: was it from a phone number?
 

Jason

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