# Text message spam - surely this breaks some rule or other?

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-message-spam-surely-this-breaks-some-rule-or-other/217187>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [December 5, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-message-spam-surely-this-breaks-some-rule-or-other/217187 "2003-12-05T17:37:28Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Colophon](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f05b48/32.png) [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-message-spam-surely-this-breaks-some-rule-or-other/217187/1 "2003-12-05T17:37:28Z")

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I just received a text message. I was expecting one from a friend, but no. Verbatim:

> [@](#):
>
> Congratulations! Thanks to a good friend U have WON the £2,000 Xmas prize.2 claim is easy, just call 0871 xxx xxxx NOW! Only 10p per minute.BT-national-rate

Now, I am not, of course, dumb enough to believe a word of this, but I do wonder how they can get away with this. No small print saying

You have won  
an entry in our prize draw for a chance to win a place in our selection lottery for the Snowball in Hell draw, the top prize of which is  
£2,000,

just a bald statement of fact.

Should I even bother to call the number to point this fact out to them? Should I report them to someone? (I’m in the UK.)

And my friend still hasn’t replied…

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**Author:** ![Futile\_Gesture](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Futile\_Gesture](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Futile_Gesture)\
**Post date:** [December 5, 2003, 6:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/text-message-spam-surely-this-breaks-some-rule-or-other/217187/2 "2003-12-05T18:07:37Z")

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It may not be illegal (yet) but it is still liable to get the sender a fine.

Contact [The Independent Committee for the Supervision of Standards of Telephone Information Services](http://www.icstis.com)

From the 11th of this month it will be illegal. The EC Directive on Privacy and Electronic Communications comes into force then.

I have received two similar pieces of unspeakable tripe by text in the last week. Each offering my the opportunity to opt-out by replying. Thanks. I have to **pay** for a text message to stop getting your garbage. :mad:

This time next week I start kicking up trouble for these low life. I am not about to see my mobile phone become the inlet for spam that my email has become.