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Junk texts/missed calls/automated message calls
- can you get rid of them?
People often get confused between getting junk texts, missed calls or automated messages which promote a premium rate service and the premium rate services themselves. The one thing you can stop is premium rate text services you have wittingly or unwittingly subscribed to, which is different from the junk methods used to promote them whether by text, phone or TV (in the case of ringtones and flirt services).
The bad news is; there's nothing you can reliably or directly do to stop getting the junk promotional messages themselves. This applies whether you are receiving loads of texts suggesting you call an 090 landline number, or automated messages on your home answerphone saying you have been selected for an award, or you have won a Caribbean holiday or something.
The good news is; there isn't any I'm afraid. The only way you will stop getting these things is:
1) if enough of you learn to recognise these things and therefore don't respond to them. This means the scammers will get less of your money and in the end it won't be economic for them and they'll give up and go find some other way to defraud consumers. Grumbletext plays a big part in this - it's the only place we know of where you can find out whether you should respond or not - if you post up examples of the junk that you've received, we get heavily Googled and people who then get the same things will find Grumbletext and be warned. The press picks up on it too. Junk texts are easy to report - however, one reason why the guys who leave you bogus automated voice messages are doing it that way is because they know that most people won't be bothered to write the full message down which means they can't report it properly on Grumbletext and consequently people won't be warned. If you can, replay that answerphone message and type it up - this type of scam is definitely on the rise
2) if enough pressure is put on the industry to clamp down hard on its rogue elements. Again, I believe that Grumbletext is a major factor in this - by your efforts of posting up the scam messages, you make the issue visible on the internet and consequently have put the regulatory bodies ICSTIS and Ofcom in the spotlight to get something done, which they recently have. See these two documents 1) ICSTIS TO GET GREATER POWERS TO TACKLE UNSCRUPULOUS FIRMS and 2) Ofcom recommends measures to improve Premium Rate regulation in the UK - it's going to make a difference..
A little more on the subject - things you might or might not consider:
If you subscribe to services from legitimate text marketing companies, then the universal STOP command is the way to unsubscribe to them, which is simply to text the word 'STOP' back to them.
The problem is that if you are even on this site and reading this page then you probably aren't dealing with a legitimate text marketing company. However, all is not lost. Even some companies involved in illegitimate activities are keen not to attract the attention of ICSTIS the regulator and will take you off their lists if you send the STOP message.
This is your decision tree:
1) If you have received a text with a 5 digit response code to text to, typically starting with 8 (sometimes 2 or 6), then you can text STOP to them - it's the normal cost of a text to send to them - give it a day or two, and if it doesn't work then try ICSTIS (see below)
2) If the response method is to call a landline (e,g, 09012345678) then do not reply to the text you received with a STOP message - you would be completely wasting your time - unsubscribe via ICSTIS (see below) - however don't bother unless you've had more than one or two, it's not worth it..
3) Forget the Telephone Preference Service (TPS) and the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) - in my experience they are both a complete waste of time in the context of premium rate scams - we have loads of people complaining on the site who were already registered with the TPS. Anyone who succeeds in getting any response out of the ICO, drop me a line!
Contacting ICSTIS - the premium rate regulator:
There is no magic way to gets these things stopped via ICSTIS, you just have to go to them to get the contact info you need:
Call ICSTIS on 0800 500212 (or email them) and request contact details for the company which is sending you the texts - you will need the response number in the text to do this. At the same time, you may well want to make a formal complaint to ICSTIS for example on the basis that it was sent to you unsolicited or that price information was not clearly shown.
Once you have the contact details, call that company and 1) request to be removed from service (obviously give your mobile) and 2) threaten to report them to ICSTIS if you don't get confirmation from them within 48 hours (via email or whatever) that they have removed you from their list.
This strategy won't always work, but it's your best bet.
I used to be rather disparaging about ICSTIS, their lack of visibility to consumers, and their apparent ineffectualness - however, things have recently changed and I am very enthused by the changes recently brought in - see 1) ICSTIS TO GET GREATER POWERS TO TACKLE UNSCRUPULOUS FIRMS and 2) Ofcom recommends measures to improve Premium Rate regulation in the UK
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