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You can report these here http://www.icstis.org.uk/ if you make a note of the premium rate number you're asked to call. It doesn't take many complaints for the service to be suspended and big fines are handed out.

If you get any type of nuisance phone call, you should report them to ICTSIS. They will investigate your complaint (providing you can give them a telephone number) and if necessary, bar the company from operating premium rate phone services, require the company to return all billed costs, as well as fine them several thousand grand for the privilege of being investigated.

The UK has a body called ICSTIS which deals with premium rate (but not expensive overseas) tarrifs.

Some other links:
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/07/01/icstis_ann ual_report/
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2004/06/28/mps_icstis /

All premium rate mobile phone SMS services in the UK will respond to a reply entitles "STOP" from August 1st. Just send the word STOP to them and they are now obliged to stop.

See this BBC new story for more details.

If they're persistant, forward the message to "VSPAM" if on Vodafone or "SPAM" if on Orange and they'll investigate and pass on to ICSTIS.

Finally, sign up to the Telephone Preference Service to stop unsolicited marketing calls and SMS.

T
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Not speaking for my employers in any way

So have I, so I forwarded a couple of the messages to ICSTIS and they stopped practically overnight. Best of all, as this article shows, ICSTIS has teeth and isn't afraid to bite and name names afterward. Note that in additional to the UKP 75,000 fines, all six companies were banned from operating in the UK. Combine that with this upcoming operating guideline and hopefully SMS spam in the UK might not even get off the ground.

Easy to block it

ICSTIS

Preference service

Stop yer whinging and sign up if you are so worried.

Easy to block it

ICSTIS

Preference service

Stop yer whinging and sign up if you are so worried.

The TPS's site states it's compulsory for phone calls: "Under Government legislation introduced on 1 May 1999 It is unlawful to make unsolicited direct marketing calls to individuals who have indicated that they do not want to receive such calls."

Junk texts are being banned under the new spam laws.

Also, you might try making a complaint to ICSTIS, the premium rate number regulator.

They can, IMO, punish junk texters using this portion of their rules:

2.8 PROMOTION BY NON-PREMIUM RATE SERVICES Wherever a premium rate service promotes, or is promoted by, a non-premium rate electronic communications service, both services will be considered as one where, in the opinion of ICSTIS, it is reasonable to do so.

As an aside, does anyone know if you can get any info from your phone provider on thses "anonymous" text messages, Also, can you do a reverse lookup on premium rate lines? (I know if you register a PO box, your information must be available, is the same for premium rate lines?)

Check out the UK premium rate line regulator, ICSTIS. You can post complaints to their website, and from personal experience I know they act on them (monthly reports are available here). They even send you a nice letter after everything's sorted out, telling you who owned the premium line (plus contact details), how fast it was shut down (inc. all the relevant code violations), and how much the offenders were fined (thousands of pounds, as a rule).

(Do mention that your number is TPS registered, when you complain -- they hate that!)

They'll do reverse lookups on premium rate lines for you, too.

As an aside, does anyone know if you can get any info from your phone provider on thses "anonymous" text messages, Also, can you do a reverse lookup on premium rate lines? (I know if you register a PO box, your information must be available, is the same for premium rate lines?)

Check out the UK premium rate line regulator, ICSTIS. You can post complaints to their website, and from personal experience I know they act on them (monthly reports are available here). They even send you a nice letter after everything's sorted out, telling you who owned the premium line (plus contact details), how fast it was shut down (inc. all the relevant code violations), and how much the offenders were fined (thousands of pounds, as a rule).

(Do mention that your number is TPS registered, when you complain -- they hate that!)

They'll do reverse lookups on premium rate lines for you, too.

As an aside, does anyone know if you can get any info from your phone provider on thses "anonymous" text messages, Also, can you do a reverse lookup on premium rate lines? (I know if you register a PO box, your information must be available, is the same for premium rate lines?)

Check out the UK premium rate line regulator, ICSTIS. You can post complaints to their website, and from personal experience I know they act on them (monthly reports are available here). They even send you a nice letter after everything's sorted out, telling you who owned the premium line (plus contact details), how fast it was shut down (inc. all the relevant code violations), and how much the offenders were fined (thousands of pounds, as a rule).

(Do mention that your number is TPS registered, when you complain -- they hate that!)

They'll do reverse lookups on premium rate lines for you, too.

If you have any complaints about unsolicited SMS Spam in the UK, or about any Premium Rate Services, contact ICSTIS

Ordinarily, in the UK, the sender of an SMS cannot reverse the charges. Currently, you can only be charged for receiving an SMS if it's from a service you have requested, and they must stop the messages as soon as you tell them to stop. ICSTIS (regulator of premuim rate phone services) have a set of guidelines for reverse-billed SMS's, and ICSTIS can shut down services if the rules are broken.

There is an argument that sms spam is illegal, by the Telecommunications (Data Protection and Privacy) Regulations 1999.
Section 22 of those regs bans the use of automated calling systems for direct marketing, and sms spam is direct marketing, it is sent by an automated system (there isn't someone sitting there with a list of mobile phone nos. sending "do u want 2 have horny txt sex with me? txt back 4 fun" to each of the numbers) and is a call.
As the spammers use premium rate numbers for the replies (that's how they get their money) they must also abide by the ICSTIS code of practice, which include that they must have clear info about the cost of the 'service', they must give their address, and various other rules.
Also, if you register your mobile phone number with the telephone preference service, anyone sending you sms spam is breaking the law, just as anyone cold-calling a number registered with the tps is (section 25 of the same regulations I mentioned above.)
So, we should be able to get rid of the sms spam quite easily :-)