URGENT: How can we stop unsolicited texts that are costing us money to receive?

[ShinyHappyPurpleSeveredHeads]

DH is getting crap through on his phone nearly every day with attachements saying things such as 'naked celebs' etc and each time he receives one it costs a pound or more. I thought you had to reply with the word 'REMOVE' to this kind of text spam but you can't reply to this as it comes through as 'unknown'.

Does anyone know how to stop this and fast because it's costing us money we can't afford.

Thanks

Also, have just tried typing the URL from the text into browser on PC and you just get a download file box asking you if you want to save it. It's 3eu.org/m983416588516673.wml.

Any ideas anyone? It's really out of order this.. we can hardly afford to put credit on as it is and it's getting stolen by text messages he doesn't want! The only commercial place that send DH text messages and cost money is Liverpool FC which is a service he asks for and wants.. but is thinking he will have to cancel this as this is probably where this other company has got his number from. Not sure tho as DS used to get unsolicited Jamster tests that cost £1.50 a time and we have no idea where they got his number. (But we got rid of those by texting back 'remove'.) Do they have some way of accessing random numbers?? Surely this must be illegal.

How to stop it? I have Googled and can't find info! Can anyone help?

had problems with jamster too - no idea about the other thing though

Don't shout but is there anyway dh signed up for them when he signed up for the FC ones?. Because I have never even heard of this happening before as spam.

phone your mobile phone company - they will be able to give you the phone numbers of the companies texting you and then you might be able to block them.

I had the same problem - unfortunately I couldn't block them (the numbers change all the time) and in the end got a different number.

call your service provider. i was getting similar, called o2 and they gave me the instructions how to stop it

Creepy no, he hasn't. (He would say if he had) and it's not just naked celebs, it's other random stuff too.

Yes we'll phone O2, thanks

try texting stop instead?

Text STOP

Then come back on here and tell me the number that have been sending you the texts, I can get you the customer services number

i work for vodafone

Fair enough. I had really bad spam texts that were just empty texts, about 15-30 at a time and they were designed so you would text back or call the number to tell them to piss off and then they would charge you a fortune for the call. I never once replied, I just used to switch the sound off.
I hate this sort of evil fraud and always feel really sorry for older people who may not be so used to technology who get caught
Definitely report the number to your service provider.

Can't text STOP as it doesn't allow you to reply. Also, can't see the number that is sending is as it is just coming up as UNKNOWN. DH has wasted several pounds on phone to 02 from his mobile (couldn't find the actual number to phone from a landline on the 02 site) and could not get through to an actual person. And there was no option for unsolicited texts or the like.

Feeling powerless now; they keep texting and charging DH more money!! And none of the usual ways of dealing with text spam are applicable as we can't see where it's coming from.

some O2 numbers to try

Ring O2

Unless you have the number of the company who sends them to you its the only way it can be stopped

Go bonkers with O2, tell them youre reporting them to OFCOM, you DEMAND to know where these companies got your number from and youre not getting off the line until these texts are STOPPED

it's one of thoise that doesn't like links just put O2 in the alternative numbers search and a whole range of numbers comes up

you reply to them with "stop"

Zippi that link didn't take me to any numbers (thanks tho). In end DH rang Maureen (she's cheap! ) and got the customer services number to ring 02 from a landline and we eventually (hopefully) got it sorted. The 02 guy was able to see the 5 digit number that the texts have been coming from and gave it to DH who then was able to text STOP to them. The 02 bloke was also able to see when they had been sent and how much was charged. He is going to try to get this refunded to DH's phone (which was very nice of him and unexpected!)

He said it's really common.. people go online and sign up for these texts and if they mis type their phone number they end up going to someone else's phone by mistake. And these companies have recently become able to make their number appear as 'unknown' to make it more difficult to unsubscribe whether or not you did or did not suscribe in the first place! Bloody cheek!!

Thanks for you help anyway. And hope the above helps someone else if this thread is found on search in the future.