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Junk text messages on the rise

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    Ways to deal with growing problem

  • Duration 4:02
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Do you get a text message on your phone but when he opened -- it's not my friends or family it's actually an ad.

For united -- -- pattern gift card or something like that tires I got one for -- are really they're called junk.

Text messages and apparently it's a growing problem unfortunately.

I'm no stranger to some of these messages in fact a man -- -- Blackberry just got one.

This is what it says he says get assistance with your bills an expense -- today that sounds pretty good get 101000 dollars now.

At a website so.

I decided to call the number just to find out whose texting what happened listen.

-- Number you dialed is not a working number we can't pin number and dial again message -- AP bureau -- URO.

All all.

All -- That's not helpful and I helped glad all -- do we need a do not tax list like we have -- do not call list without leaving.

Take -- further look at this computer for shot is a technology analyst at fashionable dot com.

And David Jacobs a consumer protection fellow at the Electronic Privacy Information Center so -- about Peter and -- for these text messages you could be.

Com a lot of Pete plans that people are on our limited tax plans which cost a certain -- every month so if that text is coming in.

Yeah that's gonna cost you in the order a few cents each time David.

How are they getting my number.

Well a lot of times they'll just send out spam to thousands of numbers and then -- wait and see if anyone responds.

And then they know that they have a working number.

So basically these are companies out of -- sort of Phishing.

Is this the same thing as you know when you get these spam emails in your inbox it's the same idea but now.

This is really intrusive because a lot of times when you get a text message.

People's phones beeper ring or do something so you know this isn't something that you can just sort of ignore right.

That's right a lot of these texts are coming in that you know 3 o'clock in the morning 4 o'clock in the morning.

And it's very disruptive.

The text messages themselves are often false or deceptive.

And on top of that as Peter mentioned you could be paying to receive these.

-- -- -- -- this text message during our show who Alex did you see about it Peter is that it's actually to my work numbers is not a number that they get text messages that.

Is there anything I can do what an act -- the number but -- some.

But he's getting junk text messages how do we stop them from coming and.

Right -- -- a number of things you can do we -- a Blackberry and not a 100% sure there are apps that can help put that on Blackberry but there are on android.

And so given android phone there's a few laps one of them -- postman and other -- called black list.

And they can actually put some power back in your hands to.

Blocked these messages on on iPhone.

The options are a little more limited because the nature of that that platform.

And I really hope apple is working with the carriers to do something that is kind of like a one click block solution which I think would be ideal.

But I think -- have to work with the carriers on -- and -- but if they figured out visual voicemail I think to configure this.

David let me ask you because a lot of people use their cell phones for so much more than just making and receiving calls.

If someone has gotten access to your number can they also hack into your phone in May be.

Get access to all of the personal information that you might have stored there.

Let's unlikely that they could do that just from having your number a lot of times what they will do though is send view of spam text messages.

With malicious software and that way they can get access to your phone so it's it's never a good idea to.

You know visit any links in the spam or even to reply to the spam.

Texas -- Gary David Peter thank you very much we appreciate it we know we get one now.

In six months we could be getting 25 so -- -- -- back thank you for your time periods.

Thank you part -- come back.

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