Unsolicited SMS advertising

[Sneeky]

Hi
Of late I have been getting some annoying advertsing on my cell phone.
As far as I know spam email must have an option where you can opt out of tjhis for it to be legal. I am pretty good with email address's and contact details and dont give them out to just anyone, which begs the question of where they got my number from.
The last one I have received is from 0763850084 advertising some or other golf estate beachfront property and that if interested I must contact [email protected] and leave my contact details there, ya right!

So, how do I find out who is sending me this so that I can go and F@ck them up solidly!!!
I have replied to the email using a hotmail addy and asked for their contact details, the tel number is permanently voicemail so nojoy there.
Any ideas?

 

[Spindrift]

Hi Sneeky,

There was an article on IOL a few months ago that outlined how you can deal with unsolicited SMSs. They gave the steps on what you can do. I did a search for you and here is the article. Hope it helps

http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=31&art_id=vn20050520075836741C770595

Good luck and let us know if you are successful. If not I'd suggest you write to the reporter and ask him/her to do a followup story.

Spinz

 

[RichardP]

Hi
Of late I have been getting some annoying advertsing on my cell phone.
As far as I know spam email must have an option where you can opt out of tjhis for it to be legal. I am pretty good with email address's and contact details and dont give them out to just anyone, which begs the question of where they got my number from.
The last one I have received is from 0763850084 advertising some or other golf estate beachfront property and that if interested I must contact [email protected] and leave my contact details there, ya right!

So, how do I find out who is sending me this so that I can go and F@ck them up solidly!!!
I have replied to the email using a hotmail addy and asked for their contact details, the tel number is permanently voicemail so nojoy there.
Any ideas?

Report them to www.smscode.co.za - If you get hold of the person who benifits from the Spam, the uual excuse is "Oh, there must have been a typo when data capturing" or "Your data number must be on the system" ... SMSCode will tell you who the Operator of the bulk-SMS service is....

Richard

 

[Sneeky]

Thx Spindrift / Richard
Thats interesting but the site did not render any results for the number that sent the sms. 27763850084 (without the plus)
You can still report the number on the site, but then you have to complete a comprehensive form that asks for ALL your contact details.
http://www.smscode.co.za/index.cfm?FuseAction=Submissions.home
I mean WTF, just another way to get more consumer info out of someone for more unsolicited spam.

Doesnt look like that will help. I travel to all major centers in this country on a regular basis, and would love to drop by at the office where this email originated from.

I received another one via email not to long ago advertising EMILY's restaurant at the V&A.
http://www.emily-s.com/Emilys/emilys.html
It was through epassella advertising or something.
I promptly emailed Emily's infroming them that although I do go to the V&A now and then when I am in Cape Town on business, I would never eat at any place that has to resort to SPAM mail to do business. I found it both intrusvie and extremely annoying, which is everything a restaurant should not be. They replied saying that I must take the matter up with the company that they hired to spam me basically, lol havent heard from them since.

 

[TheRoDent]

I keep getting lots of these. There's only one place my number can come from and that's the co.za registration database. I've heard of other people in the industry also receiving spam, and I recall a website of a local South African, fingering a specific woman in Cape Town that's selling the spamming service with numbers harvested from co.za

I've written a little diatriabe at http://rodent.za.net/SmsSpammers . It also includes an email conversation with one of the spammers who claims pure "innocence" of course.

 

[Sneeky]

I reckon a website where members can submit the company names of business's that use this disgusting way of advertising is in order.Kinda like if you see this company on the lists, be aware that they condone SPAM and decide for yourself if you want to support a business like that. I myself would certainly not.

 

[Sneeky]

Right
The company that is doing this so called targeted marketing is 'MDS Marketing' of which the only contact details I have is 0728571697, Nanette Beyers.
Phone has auto messages.

I replied using a hotmail address and received a response with all the mumbo jumbo about the golf estate. I have subsequently contacted the bloke and he is apparently quite dissapointed at the way this has been done and my complaint is apparently not the first.
He also 'apparently' cannot get hold of Nanette Beyers to terminate the spam.

So where do I go from here, suggestions