Help Me, LAPTOP: How Do I Stop SMS Spam on My T-Mobile Phone?

While not as common or overwhelming as e-mail spam, text messaging spam can be more costly and annoying, as Karin recently explained.

Within the last 24 hours I’ve received 15 SMS spam texts from such nefarious sounding e-mail addresses as luckyboy@lovecreative.com and owafuumupa7612@brasilteleco.com, both offering me cheap Viagra. I do not have an unlimited text messaging plan and I’m concerned that this will become an ongoing and expensive problem. How can I nip this in the bud on my T-Mobile Motorola Cliq?

This is a tough problem, and there’s no guaranteed, fool-proof way to stop spam texts without stopping all texts. But there are some things you can do. Start by replying to the messages with the word Stop or Unsubscribe. Then, try getting T-Mobile’s help. With T-Mobile Message Blocking you can block text, picture, IM, and e-mail messages. But that is a sort-of all-or-nothing proposition which would prevent you from sending or receiving all texts, IMs, or e-mails.

T-Mobile also offers SPAM & Keyword Filters, which lets you filter and block messages sent from the Internet to your @tmomail.net address. Note: every T-Mobile phone has its own e-mail address (your 10-digit phone number @tmomail.net). The SPAM & Keyword Filters will not block messages sent to you from other phones or third-party services.

To filter e-mails sent to your phone, go to my.t-mobile.com and log-in using your phone number and password. Click Connect and Share, and then select Configure Your E-Mail. From the pop-up box, select Create E-Mail Filters. Then click Create Filter, or select from one of the preset filters. Then check off the appropriate items from the drop-down menu. To block a specific address, use a From field. To block a specific topic, such as Viagra, use the Subject field. Click Save. For more info, check out support.t-mobile.com.

You should know, according to the 2005 CAN-SPAM Act, the FCC prohibits the sending of unwanted commercial e-mail messages to wireless devices. This covers cell phones and pagers if the message is sent from an Internet address and includes a domain name, like @lovecreative.com. You are entitled to file a complaint with the FCC by going to esupport.fcc.gov/complaints.htm, or by e-mailing fccinfo@fcc.gov. The complaint should include your name, address, e-mail address, and phone number. It should also have your mobile phone number. Then let them know that they were attempting to sell you unwanted Viagra and whether the messages offer a way for you to unsubscribe.