The Importance of Reporting Text Message Spam

The Importance of Reporting Text Message Spam

By John Curran

People who get into car accidents, even a minor fender bender, often call the police to have an officer come to the scene and complete an accident report. This provides a written record that can be used if there are any potential problems with an insurance claim. To a similar end, people who receive text message spam should issue a report to their wireless service provider for two important reasons.

One, while there are mobile applications for both iPhones and Android phones that can filter unwanted text messages, the best defense against text spam is at the provider level. This is similar to major email service providers like Google and Microsoft, who have lists of IP addresses to keep dangerous emails from reaching users. Text message spam also carries the risk of phishing, or requesting personal information via fraud.

However, there is another potentially critical reason for reporting these unwanted messages to a wireless service provider. Just like a car insurance claim, legal actions may be an option for people who have paid for texts that they did not sign up to receive, note text spam lawsuit attorneys. Documenting instances of these can help with filing a lawsuit against the company that engaged in the alleged illegal activity.

In recent text spam lawsuits, judges have ruled against firms who say that users signed up for services linked to unwanted text messages, finding that users were not clearly informed that they would be receiving them and that there is a requirement in the Telephone Consumer Protection Act that these warnings be in clear text that a reasonable person would notice. In that same statute, plaintiffs can receive up to $1,500 for each text they receive that contravenes the law.

However, many people may not realize that just like the Do Not Call list that homeowners can use for landlines, there are also protections available for the millions of people who have an iPhone or Android device. Anyone who thinks that they have been the subject of texts that are illegal per the Telephone Consumer Protection Act should consider a free legal consultation available at the Text Message Spam, Cell Phone Call TCPA Class Action Lawsuit Settlement Investigation. It costs nothing and since many users are subject to the same illegal messages, companies often settle quickly which provides a quick legal remedy for many users.

Updated May 6th, 2013

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