Possibly the only thing more annoying than receiving spam in your email inbox is receiving spam on your mobile via SMS text messaging since you get charged most of the time for receiving messages. Even worse, with the wrong click of a button while surfing online you may even subscribe to a service that adds a fee to your mobile bill.
While a simple ten pounds each month may seem small, as many of the SMS spam services cost this much, add up ten pounds on a monthly contract and you will have spent 120 pounds plus surcharges to receive the spam each year.
However, there are very simple ways to prevent being spammed via SMS messages that are as simple as contacting your mobile phone provider. The very easiest way to stop spam is to forward the spam onto your provider who will deduct fees and in most cases block the sender from sending you a message again.
For O2 users, the spam forwarding number is 7726, for Orange it is 7726, and for Vodafone it is 87726. Another option if you suspect the spam is a service that you do not want to be billed for is to respond back to the text message with the word STOP.
If you want to contest a charge for the service most providers will work with you if you contact them promptly and let them know you did not intend to sign up for the service or believe your child may had made an error. Spammers prey on children primarily who do not read the small print associated with their services detailing the service. However, since children are not of legal age to enter a contract you can dispute the charges and will often see them reversed.
To avoid future spam attempts, make a conscious effort to never give out your mobile phone number on websites that are not legitimate or recognizable. If you do have to give out your mobile for a purchase, always read the terms and conditions first the same way you would before giving out your billing information. Essentially when you hand out your mobile number to a spammer you are handing them your billing information.
