Protect your cellphone number

It is not only your computer that’s vulnerable to spam. You can expect to get hit through your cellular phone. And when spam invades your cellphone, it’s certainly going to annoy you and it’s likely going to cost you.

As more Americans take to using cellphones, their cellphone numbers can now be found in more places — contact forms, order sheets, even their MySpace profiles or Craigslist ads — making them available for pick up and unwelcome use by people you don’t even know.

In 2008, communications industry researchers estimate that American consumers will receive about 1.5 billion unsolicited and, in many cases, unwelcome text messages. This is almost two times the volume reported in 2006. For many people, particularly those without a monthly plan, these incoming messages may cost them as much as 20 cents each.

The fees you pay for incoming messages add to the profit of the phone companies. The amount can be significant. If you get 1 unsolicited message every 2 days or 15 a month at 20 cents that means you will pay $36 a year for something you never wanted. Many consumers are saying they should not have to.

Although it generates profit for them, the cellphone service providers say they do not want spam invading their territory. They can see the tremendous potential of cellular phones for customized advertising but they have not exploited that yet. Their fear is that the current spam invasion may create hostility toward all forms of commercial messages, destroying a market before it has even taken off.

Majority of phone spam is in fact e-mail. It gets to your cellphone via gateways that interconnect cellphone networks with the Internet. Many cellphones have their own e-mail address, which could be the cellphone number followed by @text.[phone company]. Spammers utilize computers to generate countless number combinations then send text messages to the number-addresses.

The imminent problem is that wireless phones are fast becoming like personal computers. This means smart-phones may soon be threatened by both spam and viruses. Skilled spammers may be able to steal information on credit cards and personal banking data through the cellphones.

All the cellular phone service companies enable consumers to beat spam. This is done by changing the obvious e-mail address or applying a blanket block against Internet-originating messages. All you have to do is log onto the phone company’s Website and alter your preferences.

Safety Tips:

* Protect your cellphone number. Aside from being in company databases, you may have put your number in social networking sites and other places. You can use a dummy number from free services that give alternative numbers, which will then forward calls as voicemail to your real number.

* Complain to the company. Communications companies want to know about your problems with spam, to help them combat it. They will also refund charges made for spam messages.