Keep getting political text spams referring to me as someone else

[baydude]

I've been getting text messages from random numbers about surveys and political meetings but they're referring to me as Mel when that's not my name. What's interesting is that all the numbers will use that name so someone must have registered my phone number for something with a fake name. How do I get my number delisted from political texts or how do I get it changed to my throw away free text number?

 

[nakedfrog]

You too, huh?

 

[Tweak155]

Same, although I think they got my name right. I blame my wife.

I just replied "STOP" to the last one and haven't had a single one since then.

 

[Spacehead]

I started getting them 4 years ago & they increase going into each election then they'll stop. A lot of them refer to me with a foreign name. At least with those i get enough of a preview to know not to look.

Anyone know why text messages aren't handled the same way as an actual call. Someone calls me & either their name is displayed or just the number. Why not the same with texts?
I don't have a smart phone but i've asked a lot of people who do & it's the same with them.

I just replied "STOP" to the last one and haven't had a single one since then.

I've been afraid to reply thinking it's similar to email. Replying just lets them know there's someone there

 

[UsandThem]

I've been just blocking the number within my Galaxy S10+ as they come.

Thankfully that seems to be doing the trick, as I now get maybe one per week.

Between social media, the news, commercials, text messaging, junk mail through USPS, etc, it's tough to avoid politics. But I'm sure the hell trying my best.

 

[lxskllr]

I've been afraid to reply thinking it's similar to email. Replying just lets them know there's someone there

That's my thinking on it. Spam texts just go to my blocklist. I would limit sms to only known contacts like I do phone, but I get useful sms on occasion that isn't from my contacts. My spam load is pretty light, so I just deal with the occasional junk on an ad hoc basis.

 

[Brainonska511]

I've been getting a lot of spam texts lately - they keep calling me Mike, when I'm not Mike. Nothing political, just constant phishing style links - eg, unclaimed money, get a free X...

Annoying, but I just report them. Blocking is useless since it's always a new number

 

[Spacehead]

I've been getting a lot of spam texts lately - they keep calling me Mike, when I'm not Mike. Nothing political, just constant phishing style links - eg, unclaimed money, get a free X...

Annoying, but I just report them. Blocking is useless since it's always a new number

Who do you report them to?

 

[brianmanahan]

Who do you report them to?

i report them to the ATOT mods, it's their side job

 

[Jeeebus]

Anyone know why text messages aren't handled the same way as an actual call. Someone calls me & either their name is displayed or just the number. Why not the same with texts?
I don't have a smart phone but i've asked a lot of people who do & it's the same with them.

Text messages are handled exactly the same as telephone calls. That said, the real question you should be asking is who is to blame and the answer to that is the FCC and Congress.

99.9% of these political texts we receive are being sent via peer-to-peer text platforms where it's not "automatic" per se because the assholes working for the campaign have to push the "send" button for each person they text. They are provided equipment that auto-populates the message and operates to allow each of them to send tens of thousands of messages per day. It's an idiotic loophole to not be subject to the TCPA. The FCC in June 2020 issued a declaration that this peer-to-peer stuff does not violate the TCPA, so basically the FCC gave every telemarketer across the country permission to shit down our collective throats as they're all going to use these platforms now and render the do-not-call registry and the TCPA meaningless.

FCC Rules Peer-to-Peer Text Messaging Platform Does Not Violate the TCPA | Lexology

On June 25, 2020, the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) issued a Declaratory Ruling directly addressing, for the first time, peer-to-peer text…

www.lexology.com

.

 

[BarkingGhostar]

The only ones doing it to me are pro-Trump, and that is only reinforcing my decision not to vote for him. Ain't that a nice achievement by them?

 

[sdifox]

Seems easier to just change your name to Mel

 

[Brainonska511]

Who do you report them to?

Just built in function in Android. With Google Fi, it reports them to T-Mobile

 

[waffleironhead]

ok Mel.

 

[ch33zw1z]

I just report as spam and block them. I've been using Google messages app for a while, blocking spam is pretty ez

 

[Spacehead]

Text messages are handled exactly the same as telephone calls.

Yeah, so it would be nice if the senders name showed up or a number so we could handle them like phone calls. If you're not in my contacts list i'm not accepting.

Thanks for the other explanation in your reply though.

i report them to the ATOT mods, it's their side job

Cool!
I almost look forward to my next one.