News

**Mike In SATX**

Well, folks - there's a new scam out there. Spammers are now sending text messages to cell phones that have basically already signed you up for their "service", unless you text the word STOP back to the sender of the text message. Just texting the word 'stop' will not stop these subscription services. If the word STOP is in all caps in the text message, that's how you must send your reply. Or if the word is 'Stop', you must type (or copy/paste) that in to your reply text - VERBATIM. I recently got hit with $39.96 in charges from these "services" that, incidentally, have never actually been provided to me by these unscrupulous vendors.

The easiest way to stop this is called a data block. Don't worry, a data block will not affect your data plan's internet service. All you have to do is call your provider (Mine is AT&T), and ask for a data block to be placed on all of your phones. The provider should send you an email with a PIN code to use to validate subscriptions you want. If the subscription shows up on your billing statement, it will be refused by your provider if you did not use your PIN code to validate it.

Fortunately for me, my provider not only put the data block on all the phones on my contract, but reversed the charges for the previous month AND the current month. And don't forget to look at your cell phone bill each month. That's how I caught this - the $39.96 increase over my normal monthly payment.

Please share this with all of your friends, coworkers and family. The sooner people take the proactive step of using a data block, the sooner people stop getting ripped off.

I'm getting tired of these scammers trying to rip people off by trying to sneak charges on to cell phone bills...

S977

**Coolhandluke74**

**Karu**

Thanks for the info.

Bump

**Rose**

Thanks!! I just called and added the block. Cheer

**Mike In SATX**

Rose Wrote:

Thanks!! I just called and added the block.

Glad you got that done. I just wish these providers would institute that automatically when you sign up. It would make things so much easier for everyone.