No one likes spam texts or calls, but the latest nasty spam text trend going around is even worse. These new group messages promising a free gift to T-Mobile customers are apparently "unblockable."
Are you getting a text message that says, "Free Msg: Your bill is paid for March. Thanks, here's a free gift, etc., for you"? If so, you're certainly not alone. It's a massive problem affecting every carrier for a very, very long time.
These spam text messages have been floating around for a while now. Last month, we reported on essentially the same spam message on Verizon, but the spam text comes from Verizon customers' own phone numbers, making the situation even more dangerous. I get similar messages almost weekly on AT&T and have for months. It's not a new problem.
Unfortunately, it looks like this already frustrating spam text message situation is about to get worse. According to BleepingComputer, these SMS phishing (or smishing) attacks have started appearing in group text messages. So instead of getting one random message from a spammer, an entire group of 20 or more people receives the same message.
For one, whatever new system the bad actors are using to send these messages is "unblockable" by T-Mobile, meaning the carrier can't stop them when sent in groups. However, we're hopeful the company will quickly find a workaround for the dangerous messages.
Plus, now that they're coming in group messages, users on Reddit are receiving follow-up messages from everyone else in the group complaining about it or responding "stop," which doesn't do any good. Carriers have managed to slow these spam texts down, but the new group spam variant is more difficult to handle.
"Customers can report spam by forwarding the message to 7726 (SPAM)."
T-Mobile reached out to BleepingComputer and had this to say. "As we detect new spam attacks from bad actors, we update our filters to block texts with known malicious links. We also encourage consumers to be cautious with engaging with unknown senders or unexpected messages. Don't click on the links or reply to a group thread that contains people you do not know.
You can mute the text thread to stop getting alerts if anyone replies by following your phone manufacturer's instructions. And while it won't stop the replies, you can also delete the thread and messages."
According to one T-Mobile employee, this is a known issue causing problems for all carriers, not just T-Mobile. As mentioned above, you can forward the message to 7726 and report it as SPAM, but do not click the link in any unknown message.
You can learn more and report text message spam to Google, or read through T-Mobile's suggested tips on what to avoid. Either way, we'll have to keep an eye out for this one, and we're hopeful carriers can find a way to block them in the future.
via BleepingComputer