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:: Wednesday, October 17, 2007 ::
The great Vodafone/Spam argument
Names changed to protect the people who will be leaving the company in a week so really don't give a shit anymore.
From: Dan
Sent: 10 October 2007 10:15
To: Admin1
Hi Admin1,
Thanks to be handed a previous member of staff’s mobile phone I receive a lot of unwanted text messages that were intended for him. Whilst an inappropriate message from his girlfriend was amusing (she never made that mistake again), and bbq invites from his friends always welcome, I’ve recently started receiving messages that are not appropriate for work! I’ve tried replying asking for them to stop, but they are coming from a premium rate number so the request is blocked from going out. Is there anyway I can block messages coming in from particular numbers?
Cheers,
Dan
________________________________________
From: Admin1
Sent: 10 October 2007 10:19
To: Admin2
Subject: FW: Information Required - Company Mobile Phones
Admin2,
Is there anything we can do about this?
________________________________________
From: Admin2
Sent: 11 October 2007 10:33
To: Admin1
Subject: RE: Information Required - Company Mobile Phones
There is nothing we can do I’m afraid
________________________________________
From: Admin1
Sent: 15 October 2007 09:22
To: Dan
Hi Dan,
I’m afraid that there is nothing that can be done with regards to this matter.
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help.
Regards
Admin1
________________________________________
From: Dan
Sent: 15 October 2007 10:37
To: Admin1; Admin2
That’s a pathetic cop out of a response.
I’ve just registered with the Vodafone online account control and found that “18 Rated Content” is already blocked. Not blocked enough for my liking. They claim that this service makes the phone safe for use by children, but would you call the following text messages child safe? (all received in the last two weeks):
- Told my st8 mate to pretend I was his bird while I sucked his fat hard cock! Call 09097908669
- Our gay chat service has just got busier with even more guys online & still at a fantastic low price! Call 08712303030…
- If you like hot horny men, sexy phone wanks or seedy filthy meets then give us a call on 08712303030 and chat NOW. …
- Wanna get your face fucked by a real man & take my fat 9” cock up your arse? Call 08712303030 if you can handle it. …
- Wanna share you filty fantasies with fit fuckable fellas? Call 08712303030 & get chatting with horny guys now …
The Vodafone website tells me to reply with the word “STOP”, but the message is blocked from going out. On other providers websites I’ve found numbers for forwarding text messages to for reporting spam, but I can’t find such a number for Vodafone. There must be one?
I don’t want messages like this popping up when I’m in a meeting with a client, in a car with a colleague, in the office, or anywhere else for that matter. And I’m sure you don’t want your staff getting messages like this either.
I don’t appreciate being told that there is nothing you can do about it. Surely you have some contact at Vodafone who can advise? There must be a method of reporting spam? Surely there is a way to block certain numbers? (You can see that they come predominately from one number)
Please do something about this.
Regards,
Dan
________________________________________
From: Dan
Sent: 15 October 2007 15:20
To:Admin1; Admin2
Thanks for your telephone response, Admin2.
You may not consider that a cop out response in light that there is a Vodafone corporate customer services team available, but that information would have been helpful up-front in place of “There is nothing we can do I’m afraid“.
I have now spoken to Vodafone. It would appear that that is a general corporate customer services number rather than a support team specifically for us as suggested.
The not very helpful “Tim” says that the two numbers those messages came from are not listed on whatever is the official list is of who sends out junk messages. He therefore suggested that I should call the numbers directly and ask them to stop contacting me (£1.50 and 10p per minute respectively.)
I said that I wasn’t prepared to do this.*
He said there’s noting he can do about it (and then somehow made the sound of shrugging).
I pointed out that, theoretically, this phone could be owned by a child and their website claimed they were capable of blocking adult content.
On the defensive, he said that that didn’t apply as I had signed a waver to lift the ban.
I pointed out that (a) I’ve never signed anything of the sort and (b) the Vodafone website claims the ban is still in place on this handset. (He was also surprised to lean that I was a corporate rather than I private customer, further denting my confidence in their customer support service.)
He then insisted that my number must have been given away to somebody at some time in the past and therefore the ban didn’t apply, had I ever done that?
I could only respond that the number did not always belong to me so I have no idea what happened to it before hand.
He said, “Well there you go then,” (and made the ‘like I give a shit’ shrugging noise again.)
I asked if there was any other way of blocking such messages, and he told me that the Telephone Preference Service also covers mobile numbers. Again, information that would have been useful up-front, but I guess that is information that reduces revenue and so it not advertised. I also doubt how much good it would do as the messages are originating from a source outside of the official spammer database.
Having looked at the TPS registration form I’m unsure about how to enter a corporate mobile number on it. The Terms and Conditions imply it is a sign up for the business as a whole. Any advice here would be appreciated.
And I further suggest that you take the matter up with Vodafone. Their customer service is poor and I refuse to believe there is any technical barrier to blocking incoming messages from particular numbers, the only real problem as I see it is their own apathetic attitude.
Regards,
Dan
* In retrospect in may come to that!
________________________________________
Further to the above email chain I've been thinking. To my knowledge my number has never been given away except on my business card, which obviously I don't leave around willy-nilly. Maybe my number is just very close to someone else's and I'm now getting these messages as a result of a typo somewhere along the line. There is a market for these sorts of text message, for the sort of people who want to receive them, but you aren't going to find those people by testing numbers randomly. So how would you go about building a database? If I were in that business I'd send out scouts to cottaging hot-spots to collect numbers from public toilet walls etc. There's a pretty good chance the people that happily leave numbers there would respond to these sorts of messages. That would make an interesting job too. Maybe in areas where the police were trying to prevent such activity they could to do the same thing then start sending warning messages, "we know what you've been doing," or reminders about the law or the dangers involved. Maybe they do that already?
I hope some dyslexic pink-oboe player hasn't inadvertently scribbled my number anywhere. Not my work number at least.
________________________________________
Update
From: Dan
Sent: 25 October 2007 09:31
To: Admin2
Hi Admin2,
Any progress with Vodafone?
I won't repeat them again but I've received another three of these messages since the last email. Two repeats of previous ones and a third, more worrying, "system message" prompting a data download, which I declined obviously.
Dan
________________________________________
From: Admin2
Sent: 25 October 2007 09:37
To: Dan
Dan
Funny enough I chased Vodafone on this yesterday and a lady called Jo will be contacting you direct today to discuss this (see attached#).
It appears because of the content it we straight to Vodafones Spam inbox but Jo was retrieving it yesterday so will call you today.
Thanks
# attached:
From: Vodafone
Sent: Wed 24/10/2007 15:32
To: Admin2
Just thought I'd let you know that the system filtered this message and deemed it as spam, but I am currently in the process of trying to retrieve it so there may be a little delay in my response. ...
________________________________________
Following this Jo from Vodafone did call me, and told me they could change my number for 25 quid, of if I reported it to the police three times would do it for free. She then took some more details about the messages, and called up the sender to see if she could get it stopped. Fortunatly this worked. I was also told that "Tim's" responce was not aceptable and it would be taken up with his line manager. Thankyou, Jo.
________________________________________
Sometime later...
From; Dan
Sent: Tue 13/11/2007 14:24
To: Vodafone
Cc: Admin2
Hi Joanne,
Thanks for your help with stopping the previous spam text invasion. You said you would send an email to Admin2 to confirm that this had been dealt with and that you would copy me in. Although I never saw this I didn't worry as at least the messages did stop after that... until last night.
Yesterday evening I received three "service messages" (see [below], only two had arrived at that point). Not that I would want to anyway but these cannot be opened due to data packet transfer being disabled. However, that also means I have no way of seeing where they are coming from or knowing how to stop them.
Could you please advise on what a "service message" actually is, as I get the impression this is not intended as a mechanism for communication of this sort? And once again, is there anything that can be done to stop this.
Thanks,
Dan
________________________________________
From: Vodafone
Sent: Tue 13/11/2007 14:55
To: Dan
Hi Daniel,
I'm so sorry to here that you have received these SPAM messages, these are rather difficult to stop as they are sent though as site links as appose to a text message. Are you able to access the message to see if any contact numbers are on them for a customer services team to see if they can offer any help?
I'm sorry to say that due to a temporary job move I will be unable to call any customer care contact line on your behalf, but if after looking at the message you find there are no contact numbers, please let me know and I can then see if anyone can assist you with this matter further.
Sorry I couldn't be more help.
If you have any further questions or queries then please feel free to contact me.
Kind Regards
Jo
________________________________________
From: Dan
Sent: Mon 19/11/2007 10:08
To: Vodafone
Hi Jo,
Hope you had a good weekend. I've learnt some new words!
I've worked out how to view the message without opening the website. There are no customer service numbers attached but I have found out what website they are coming from. Messages read:
Bent XXX: Free P()rn – 24 hour offer! Address: http://fruitmag.net/promo?n=[mobilenumber]
Cum see fckable lads ramming fat throbbing c()cks into tight v!rg!n holes… FREE PIC WEEKEND Address: http://fruitmag.net/basement?n=[mobilenumber]
Want more filth? Tight twinks, dirty daddies, sexy shemales, hot hunks we've got it all! Free PICS! Address: http://fruitmag.net/basement?n=[mobilenumber]
It's cold outside, so why don't you stay in and warn yourself up by enjoying our hot XXX videos Address: http://fruitmag.net/basement?n=[mobilenumber]
[Messages edited in the hope they'll get through your own spam filter.]
You'll notice the mobile number on the end of each url is mine, so they will be tracking whether they ever get visited, therefore please do not visit them! The main fruitmag.net site is a holding page displaying an imaging saying "TEXT JOIN TO 89975 TO VISIT BENTHARD.COM"
I've tried texting "STOP" to this number but get an error message:
"Access to this service is denied. Content Control bar is in place. You can request the removal of this bar by calling Customer Services"
Again, any advice or suggestions on how to proceed would be appreciated.
Regards,
Dan
Received a couple of fail messages - address obviously went to a mailing list.
________________________________________
From: Vodafone
Sent: Tue 20/11/2007 12:00
To: Dan
Hello Daniel,
Please try e-mailing, customercare[at]hybyte[dot]com with your number and request that they take you off their list.
Warm Regards
How did they know this?
________________________________________
From: Dan
Sent: Tue 20/11/2007 12:07
To: Hybyte
Hi there,
I have a company mobile phone that previously belonged to someone else and I have been receiving unwanted spam service messages from http://fruitmag.net
Could you please remove me from this list and from any other lists you hold. The mobile number in question is 07713 XXX XXX
I have tried texting STOP to the number listed on the website but Vodafone are clever enough to stop the message from going out but not clever enough to stop them from coming in!
If you could confirm that this has been actioned that would be greatly appreciated.
Regards,
Dan
________________________________________
From: Hybyte
Sent: 20 November 2007 15:59
To: Dan
Dear Mr P,
I have blacklisted the mobile number provided on our system. this will prevent any further text messages (that are sent via our system) from reaching the handset.
I have also contacted the client responsible for the traffic of which you complain, and requested that they remove [the number] from their database.
Kind regards
________________________________________
Hooray!!
:: Dan 17.10.07 [Arc] [0 comments]::
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