Daylight robbery via SMS spam in Malaysia
This is an invitation for everybody to set up their own “SMS infoservice” to make a fast buck. And this has been going on for years.
As reported by New Straits Times, 27th Nov, these guys send you SMSes, and you have to pay for them! But each time it’s a few cents only (perhaps 15 sen), so you hardly notice. But the total that these many “mobile phone content providers” make runs into the millions.
We’ve all received them. They bombard us handphone users with unsolicited downloads and SMS, such as ringtone offers. Whether one accepts the downloads or cancels them, a fee is charged.
The National Consumer Complaints Centre (NCCC) and the Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC), the regulator of the telecommunications industry, are aware of this.
NCCC manager Darshan Singh said the cost of an unsolicited download was RM3 while sending a cancellation message is 15 sen.
And of course nobody would want to through the hassle of obtaining refunds.
This happens mostly to prepaid users, who don’t get statements from the telcos, and don’t usually check their balance all the time.
At the end of 2005, there were 20.5 million handphone users in the country and 17.5 million of them prepaid users.
Telcos sometimes ALSO provide content. In this way, they’re also guilty.
Darshan gave one example. During the World Cup some customers received free match updates but many customers failed to realise they were charged 15 sen for cancelling the service, which was unsolicited in the first place. When this was brought it up to the MCMC, the company concerned agreed to refund the money, but in reality, there’s no followup.
Darshan revealed that the NCCC received 1,087 telecommunication industry-related complaints in 2005, and 1,403 complaints up to June this year. Most were about being charged for unsolicited downloads. He also said that the Consumer Claims Tribunal heard 73 cases concerning telcos last year. Until August this year, another 93 cases had been filed.
He further said that telcos ARE responsible for screening content by content providers.
Solution: The MCMC is acting on the complaints. A working group comprising telcos, the MCMC and content providers revised guidelines on the provision of mobile content and services in July.
In the discussion on this at monsterblog, someone who worked in 2 telcos and now works in a content provider company offered the following trick on how not get any unsolicited SMS messages:
1) NEVER subscriber or use any of their services.
2) Ensure that your mobile number is not a recycled number. If you’ve just bought a new prepaid number, it may be that the previous owner of that number downloaded or subscribed to an SMS service. The telcos do not inform the content providers that they’ve recycled their numbers, therefore the content provider’s records would not be updated and think you’re the same user.
3) NEVER respond to any unsolicited SMS message. Take note of the shortcode whether it’s 3xxxx or 2xxxx.If you want to lodge a complaint, here’s a tip:
1) Check if the unsolicited SMS came from a 3xxxx shortcode, or 2xxxx shortcode. If it’s a 3xxxx shortcode, that means it came from a content provider and you should contact the content provider hotline. If the shortcode starts from 2xxxx, you should contact your telco because the service came from your telco.
Tags: SMS, spam, SMS spam, telcos, mobile content providers, content providers
2 Responses to “Daylight robbery via SMS spam in Malaysia”
By Cheok on Aug 12, 2011 | Reply
Dear Fellow Mobile Users,
I need your help to make this campaign successful.
Please send emails to the MCMC officials listed below, demanding that MCMC make it mandatory for all telcos to install the below-described spam sms filtering program. Please send your emails repeatedly, hopefully at least once a day until the implementation of the below-described filtering program by all telcos (Maxis, Celcom, DiGi, Tune Talk and U-Mobile). Also, please forward this email to as many others as you can.
zur@cmc.gov.my, hussin@cmc.gov.my, mazlan@cmc.gov.my, sidek@pmo.gov.my, aduan@cfm.org.my, jay@cfm.org.my, amar@cmc.gov.my, hazirah@cmc.gov.my, sharizanaa@cmc.gov.my, mohd.rashdi@cmc.gov.my, shaharliza@cmc.gov.my, saiful.azhar@cmc.gov.my, azizan@cmc.gov.my, eneng@cmc.gov.my
Some telcos claim they have installed spam sms filtering program in their network systems. I don’t know if it is true or not. Assuming it is true, the current in use spam sms filtering program is INEFFECTIVE, judging by the spam sms we are still receiving.
An effective spam sms filtering program can be installed in each telco’s server that gives mobile users manual control over which mobile and shortcode numbers they want to receive spam sms from.
This is how the effective spam sms filtering program works:-
Each mobile user submits a list of mobile and shortcode numbers that he/she wants to receive sms from. This can be done by requiring each telco to allow its mobile users to send eg. “accept sms 0105505500” to a specially designated number in the telco’s network systems.
Each time an sms is sent to a mobile user, before the sms is sent into the mobile user’s phone, the telco’s network systems will compare the sms sender’s number against the list of numbers already submitted by the intended recipient mobile user.
If an sms is sent from a mobile or shortcode number that is NOT in the list of numbers that the intended recipient want to receive sms from, then the sms is a spam sms. The spam sms is NOT forwarded into the intended recipient’s phone, is blocked by the spam sms filtering program at the telco’s network systems and deleted.
Later, if after a mobile user has put a friend’s mobile number into the list of numbers he/she wants to receive sms from, the friend changes phone number, the mobile user can remove his/her friend’s previous number by sending eg. “remove sms 0105505500” to the same specially designated number in the telco’s network systems.
The spam sms filtering program is simple to create, easily and quickly integrated into the telcos’ existing network systems without the need for massive systems revamp and will ELIMINATE the problem of spam sms COMPLETELY.
Telcos will not install the spam sms filtering program willingly or voluntarily as this will reduce their profits. That is why mobile users like us must FORCE MCMC into making mandatory for all telcos to install this spam sms filtering program in their network systems.
MCMC has consistently ignored mobile users’ repeated complaints on the issue of spam sms and refused to act against the telcos and other sms spammers. This is despite spam sms being in breach of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, its Content Code and General Consumer Code.
Please support this Email Campaign Against Spam SMS.
Sincerely,
CASS
By cheok on Jan 31, 2012 | Reply
This is an updated version from what has been posted in your website on 12/8/2011. It contains additional details of senior MCMC officials.
Email Campaign Against Spam SMS
Dear Fellow Mobile Users,
I need your help to make this campaign successful.
Please send emails to the MCMC (Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission) officials listed below, demanding that MCMC make it mandatory for all telcos to install the below-described spam sms filtering program. Please send your emails repeatedly, hopefully at least once a day until the implementation of the below-described filtering program by all telcos (Maxis, Celcom, DiGi, Tune Talk and U-Mobile).
Also, please forward this email to as many others as you can.
jailani@cmc.gov.my, hazirah@cmc.gov.my, che.norhazreen@cmc.gov.my, aishah@cmc.gov.my, zur@cmc.gov.my, sharizanaa@cmc.gov.my, devi@cmc.gov.my, shaharliza@cmc.gov.m, hussin@cmc.gov.my, mazlan@cmc.gov.my, sidek@pmo.gov.my, aduan@cfm.org.my, amar@cmc.gov.my, mohd.rashdi@cmc.gov.my, saiful.azhar@cmc.gov.my, azizan@cmc.gov.my, eneng@cmc.gov.my, masniza.Ilias@cmc.gov.my, naomi@cmc.gov.my
Jailani is MCMC’s Chief Regulatory Officer. Zur is MCMC’s Head of Enforcement Division. Mazlan is MCMC’s Head of Investigations Dept. Shahrizan is MCMC’s Head of Compliance/Consumer Protection.
Some telcos claim they have installed spam sms filtering program in their network systems. I don’t know if it is true or not. Assuming it is true, the current in use spam sms filtering program is INEFFECTIVE, judging by the spam sms we are still receiving.
An effective spam sms filtering program can be installed in each telco’s server that gives mobile users manual control over which mobile and shortcode numbers they want to receive spam sms from.
This is how the effective spam sms filtering program works:-
Each mobile user submits a list of mobile and shortcode numbers that he/she wants to receive sms from. This can be done by requiring each telco to allow its mobile users to send eg. “accept sms 0105505500” to a specially designated number in the telco’s network systems.
Each time an sms is sent to a mobile user, before the sms is sent into the mobile user’s phone, the telco’s network systems will compare the sms sender’s number against the list of numbers already submitted by the intended recipient mobile user.
If an sms is sent from a mobile or shortcode number that is NOT in the list of numbers that the intended recipient want to receive sms from, then the sms is a spam sms. The spam sms is NOT forwarded into the intended recipient’s phone, is blocked by the spam sms filtering program at the telco’s network systems and deleted.
Later, if after a mobile user has put a friend’s mobile number into the list of numbers he/she wants to receive sms from, the friend changes phone number, the mobile user can remove his/her friend’s previous number by sending eg. “remove sms 0105505500” to the same specially designated number in the telco’s network systems.
The spam sms filtering program is simple to create, easily and quickly integrated into the telcos’ existing network systems without the need for massive systems revamp and will ELIMINATE the problem of spam sms COMPLETELY.
Telcos will not install the spam sms filtering program willingly or voluntarily as this will reduce their profits. That is why mobile users like us must FORCE MCMC into making mandatory for all telcos to install this spam sms filtering program in their network systems.
MCMC has consistently ignored mobile users’ repeated complaints on the issue of spam sms and refused to act against the telcos and other sms spammers. This is despite spam sms being in breach of the Communications and Multimedia Act 1998, its Content Code and General Consumer Code.
Please support this Email Campaign Against Spam SMS.
Sincerely,
CASS