This is what Mon predicted. Only worse.
Jepoy points out that the Philippines’ biggest cellco is SMS-spamming customers. To add insult to injury, the spam is deceptively written to seem like it came from an excited customer.
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This is what Mon predicted. Only worse.
Jepoy points out that the Philippines’ biggest cellco is SMS-spamming customers. To add insult to injury, the spam is deceptively written to seem like it came from an excited customer.
Mike Abundo serves as Vice-President for Online Services of the Philippine Internet Commerce Society, identifying and analyzing nascent IT trends of potential benefit to the Filipino people.
39 comments
That is strange. When I look at the screenshot, it seems to really come from a subscriber mobile number. 09218396437? Or was this forwarded from a friend?
To the point, I believe that is a rule that says all messages from content providers and telcos must have their identification clearly shown in the message. This is be a basic requirement for messages such as these. Something like “Brought to you by Smart” at the bottom would help.
It’s clearly not a spam message from Smart, reasons I think why: there’s still a broadcast ban being imposed by NTC, assuming that’s it’s a forwarded message from a friend who originally received it, but the way smart, smartload was spelled, smart should have known how to properly put capitalization on their corporate name.
Im used to receive forwarded message from friends because of Smart’s unlimited text promo and messages like this from excited subs are one of them.
Working in the industry makes me know how to distinguish a spam message from the telco and which is not.
spam is spam regardless of who sent it. this could very well be a group of telemarketers…
BTW, Mike, I suggest u mask out the phone number…
my friend forwarded that message to me, but of course, I need to modify the sender field.
The number you’re seeing IS the actual number of the person (or computer) who sent the original spam message to my friend.
ok update:
my friend just received another spam from the same number and another spam from a different smart number.
Hmmm. Why is your friend always victimized? I have yet to receive SPAM from Smart … hmmmmm ….
that i don’t know. He just recieved that yesterday… mon might be right.. they might be a group of telemarketers, but these are still spam. 🙁
As far as an end-user is concerned, a telemarketer spamming on Smart’s behalf is still Smart. Smart bears command responsibility for its agents, outsourced or otherwise.
Or it could be Globe playing dirty and pretending to be Smart! Either way this smells like another scandal in the making.
Could you get the message sender number (the one in the SMS details.. just checked my SE phone and it doesn’t have it! Nokia does.) You could use this to determine if it was a machine sending it or a real phone.
Basta ang alam ko lang ang dami na niyang text.. 1070?!
@migz – screenshot 1 ||| screenshot 2
woops! sorry. Here’s the correct screenshots:
message
message details
No message center number unfortunately. Any Series 60 users who know how to display it?
1070 people got this?
@migz – i think bannx was referring to my 1070 messages in my inbox 😛 too lazy to erase messages. hehehehe
any business will try and maximize the full capabiity of free advertising until reprimanded.. unless found obstrusive, someone should file a complaint or notify them at least.. however in this case where anyone who has a smart capable phone is a suspect, smart can play as innocent as they can and still gets the attention and free advertising.. that my friend, is what they call business strategy.. not brilliant but worth the while..
ei bloggementarist, you havnt answered mr mon’s question yet
i’ve wasted money texting back f*!#off everytime these people or bots or satanic dolls ressurected from their doll graves by Smart to screw up your day or to eternal believers of the healing power of nap:wake me up 3 in the afternoon to tell me about crap i don’t care about.
Hi, it could be from a GSM phone/modem or it could be straight from SMSC. If it is came from GSM modem, I haven’t found yet a program that could alter the sending number. Unlike if it is came from the SMSC, the sending number can be changed to any- alphabets or numerals. If CP was permitted by mobile operator to change the sending number, they can even change it to valid cell number or brand name but usually they are assigned to short code number. I’ve been there, done that.
I got one! Promoting a Black Eyed Peas raffle.
hi guys & gals, just wanna tell u all that i also have received more than a dozen messages (dont know why, maybe my number is quite common) from these suspicious Smart users. i hope that regulators could soon put an end to these irritating spams.
Here are the samples: From 09219022564 – sent July 8, 10:35:55am, “Hey,friend! May nadiskubre akong libreng service!Libreng tips at downloads! Ayos ‘to dahil walang bawas sa load!:)Pra makalibre ka rin,text mo lang LIBRE sa 291″… same number, sent July 13, 2:18:44pm,”Huy, d ba smart ka? Nagtxt lng me ng E2 On sa 209, nakuha k Narda tpos may libreng 5 txt msgs pa! Astig ba? Try mo din, dali! Pls pass.”… same number, sent July 18, 2:00:30pm, “Babe,plitan mo nman un ringtone mo, luma na e.Send mo F5 ON s 5355 para ma-update mga ringtones mo & logos.Try mo na,ok un, may libre k pang 5 free text.” …same number, sent August 1, 11:24:43am, “Hi frnd, ges wat dami k na kavoictxt ngayon. Naririnig k pa boses nla! Smart voictxt gamet k! astig, dial k lang *899+celnum. Yun lng! Kakaexcite sobra!”
Here’s more: From 09104212398 – sent May 27, 12:38:14pm, “Grabe galing may astig na discovery ako!Pwede k n magvoicetext ngayon!Dial mo lang *899+cellphone number. Try mo,dali!”… same number, sent July 2, 12:45:36pm, same message as “Hey,friend.. LIBRE sa 291..”
Here’s more: Exact content of Jepoy’s sample number, 09218396437 – sent May 12, 2:22:02pm, “Nasubukan nyo na yung bago ng smart? May 5 free text for every load ng smartload ALL Text 10! Ok ano? Ang galing! Super sulit! Mag load na tayo dali!”… same number, sent July 23,6:07:07pm, “sulit mag-smart 258 unlimited.sa P15 mer0n ka ng 1day unlimitedtxting, i-txt lang 15 at send sa 258.”… same number, sent August 4, 2:38:24pm, “gus2 mo mag-Unlimitd Txt n may call?Mag-smart 258 combo ka,sulit s P20.I-text lng 20 at send sa258.Pra mgamit ang call,dial *258+celfone # (ex.*25809181234567)”
Here’s more: From 09219022565 (note similarity to other spam number ending in 4) – sent July 26, 9:45:40am, “Crush k ang pussycat dolls!Xcited ako s concert nla! Sana manalo ako s promo ng smart pra may VIP tix ako! Ngtxt ako ng PCD & cnend sa 234 para mkasali.Try mo!”… and most recently from 09219022564 (most prolific sender and repeat sender!), sent August 8, 10:24:26am, “Uy crush kng si ParisHilton may hit na! Tinuruan ako ni kuya kng paano idwnload yng tone nya,nagtxt lang ako ng paris1 & cnend sa 288! In love tlaga ako s knya!”
that’s all (..so far, unless the perpetrators had marked me as prime target..) folks! i have tried to copy the text messages in exact form as i’ve received them. i hope d experts among u might find a pattern in these to finally put an end to this scheme. i’m partially relieved now. thanks in advance. P.S. i hope there will be compensation for aggrieved parties, i’ve saved as evidence all these spam messages in my nearly-full inbox! NO TO SPAM!
spamming is just one of smart’s “glitches” aside from missing loads.
Try this. Have a mobile unit with sms counter like Sony Ericsson phones. Apply in Smart’s unlimited text. Send more than 1,300 or 1,400 texts. After this, your number is already in their system’s banned list for unlitxt promo. You’ll no longer be able to apply for aany 258 services. Therefore, Smart’s unli promo is not really an unli.
spam namn poeh yan ehh d namn poeh totoo waheheh woot
3 na sim ko sa smart…2 na ang di maka register sa unlimited service nila…anu ba yan!!!
buti pa ang globe!!!
I now get pictures in my spam from Smart. They cause my phone to lock and reset itself.
If you receive such kind of SMS please don’t ever believe them.
SMART Communications is sending SMS but their TXT ID is not similar with any regular sim numbers. Most of their IDs are 3 to 4 digits or a text of SMART or Customer Care. Other than what i mention are all scam. Don’t get easily fooled.
I am regularly receiving smart spam text. I find that blog, or mail spam is better because i can set them under spam folder but this SMART Spam text, i dont have choice. My number is only for my family and relatives so i expect that the text are all importants. It is causing me trouble when i receive spam text from SMART. It when my relative text me that a cousin of mine is in the hospital. Waiting for the response in my inquiry, three Smart Spam text arrive. It almost broken my heart for I thought the message are from my relatives. I have this Smart spam text
I too, am annoyed receiving SMART Alerts which I never subscribed to.
Although they provided a facility to turn off SMART Alerts by sending ALERTS OFF to 211, sadly this switch off button is temporary.
After a while, SMART Communications will send again their unsolicited SMART Alerts.
Yes, SMART Communications will soon attack my cellphone privacy by sending me unsolicited SMART Alerts messages, or I would rather say SMART text spams.
SMART Communications, which is the one I entrusted with my cellphone communications needs, unfortunately is the one that attacks me by sending me their unsolicited SMART Alerts, or I’d rather say attacks me by sending me their SMART text spams.
Ako 6 free text from smart. All are advertisement and i consider as spam text
Inquirer just released a story indicating that the goverment is powerless against Text Spam
I am shocked because Im one of the victims of text spam….It started last sunday, november 8. beware of the spammers there!
It’s very annoying. This is clearly an abuse of the system by Smart. And NTC is doing nothing to fix it? Goodness!
found the solution para mawala na:
Text nyo STOP ALL to 234