I received the following message from 202-680-0444:
While the operator was courteous, his only advice to me was to call my own carrier - CREDOMobile - and try to have them block the number. I then told him that my number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. I further informed him that since I had reported a possible violation of the Registry and that one of their customers may be abusing the service of Verizon Wireless by sending unsolicited text messages, it was now incumbent upon them to investigate. In short, the burden had passed from me to them.
While I have an unlimited texting plan, the same is not always true of others who have been textspammed, so these messages are costing people money. Why should the victim have to go through all the trouble of contacting their cellphone carrier to try to get the number blocked, when a far easier solution is for the offender's cellphone carrier to investigate and take action?
Anyway, this particular spammer seems to be rather new and there aren't a lot of complaints filed online against him yet. He seems to be advertising various websites that offer payday loans.
Websites being advertised include, but are not limited to:
"Need help with bills? You have been pre-qualified to get a No credit check payday loan up to $1000 right NOW on ur phone! www.MyCashCall.net (reply-stop)"After discovering that the number is a cellphone registered to Verizon Wireless, I called their toll-free number 800-922-0204 to file a complaint. My cellular number is on the National Do Not Call Registry and violations can result in civil liability.
While the operator was courteous, his only advice to me was to call my own carrier - CREDOMobile - and try to have them block the number. I then told him that my number is on the National Do Not Call Registry. I further informed him that since I had reported a possible violation of the Registry and that one of their customers may be abusing the service of Verizon Wireless by sending unsolicited text messages, it was now incumbent upon them to investigate. In short, the burden had passed from me to them.
While I have an unlimited texting plan, the same is not always true of others who have been textspammed, so these messages are costing people money. Why should the victim have to go through all the trouble of contacting their cellphone carrier to try to get the number blocked, when a far easier solution is for the offender's cellphone carrier to investigate and take action?
Anyway, this particular spammer seems to be rather new and there aren't a lot of complaints filed online against him yet. He seems to be advertising various websites that offer payday loans.
Websites being advertised include, but are not limited to:
www.CHKadvance.com
www.MyCashCall.net
www.speedy-advance.com
CHKadvance and speedy-advance are registered by Domains By Proxy, LLC through Go Daddy. MyCashCall is registered with Namecheap. My guess is that they registered them like that to prevent angry letters from arriving at their home or office, as well as pissed-off people calling them on the phone.
The route I took seems to be the one that offers the best chance for success: call Verizon Wireless to file an official complaint against this number.
Duane Browning
