How To Permanently Stop Spam Texts And Make Money While Doing It
Spam texts are the bane of all our existences. However, thank fully there is a way to stop them and make money while doing it.
First, let’s go over the difference between a scam and a spam text or phone call before getting into how to make these annoying texts and phone calls stop. A scam is a type of communication received by a consumer with the intent to steal money. Typically, this is someone pretending to be a legitimate business. Remember the “renew your car’s extended warranty” ordeal many Americans faced? Scam! Spam texts or phone calls are not those of nature trying to steal money or personal information. These spam communications are legitimate telemarketing calls that you, as a consumer, have not consented to.
According to CNet, the largest source of scam texts and phone calls is driven by “robocalls” and over 68 million Americans have reported losing money to these scams. Under TCPA, you can seek to sue these scam callers but it is much harder to locate them as they typically are located overseas and use temporary numbers, making it very challenging to obtain contact information. Spam texts and phone calls are usually from a legitimate business, which means, consumers have more of a chance to sue them and have successful results in collecting the damages that ensued.
That is exactly what one consumer did and came out victorious over the spam texts and phone calls that were burdening his daily life. David Weekly’s phone was blowing up from various spammers and it reached a point he was missing important calls from his family, friends, and his work while avoiding the constant alerts from his phone. Back in June of this year, Weekly decided he had enough and when a spam text message popped up on his phone, he did some research to determine the location of the spammer and he sued them. It paid off, as Weekly ended up receiving a check for $1,200 in awarded damages.
Weekly, a technology executive, told CNet, “Like every other human being on the planet with a cellphone, I get a lot of spam phone calls and text messages,” Weekly continued, “I find it kind of annoying,” Although trying to represent yourself in a small claims court isn’t the easiest process to go through, Weekly’s story is an inspiration for other consumers who are fed up with the day to day Spam texts. In fact, Weekly shared his experience and it went viral on Twitter after he posted it. He did so with the intent to motivate other consumers to fight back against spam texts and phone calls.
The TCPA is a federal law that makes it illegal to use an automatic telephone dialing system or prerecorded voice system to send spam texts or phone calls. Consumers can follow in Weekly’s footsteps and take spammers to court, though it takes a lot of time and effort. If you are not looking to put forth that much time and energy to fight back against these spam texts and phone calls, there are other steps you can follow to end the headache of it all.
A consumer can text 7726 to their phone carrier to report the spam text or phone call. An easy step to remember because it spells SPAM. Just forward the spam text by copying and pasting the message to your carrier. When doing this be sure to not open any links that were sent within the spam text message. Some carriers also provide online forms where you can file a complaint regarding the spam text message you received.
