BBB: Block Spam Texts

MONROE, La. (KNOE) - This morning Good Morning Ark La Miss was joined by Jo Ann Deal of the Better Business Bureau to talk about blocking spam texts.

Deal says spam texts are unsolicited communications sent to mobile devices via SMS or instant messaging apps.

Deal explains some reasons you might be getting spam messages are:

• A public social media profile. If your profiles are set to public on social media sites, spammers are able to find your phone number and email.
• Automatic-generation technology. Spammers can use special technology to generate phone numbers ina specific range. Your number may periodically fall into these ranges, making you susceptible to receiving unsolicited spam text messages.
• Automatic number identification (ANI). Common toll-free numbers such as 800 or 900 numbers use ANI to identify and collect incoming phone numbers. The data is mostly used for billing purposes but can be connected to other parts of your digital footprint.

Deal also says some examples of spam messages are:

• You’ve Won!
• There’s a problem with your tax return.
• Verify suspicious account activity.
• Package delivery failed.
• Urgent! Help needed.

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