FTC Goes After Scammers Who Blasted Millions of Text Messages 79
coondoggie writes "The Federal Trade Commission today said it has filed eight court cases to stop companies who have sent over 180 million illegal or deceptive text messages to all manner of mobile users in the past year. The messages — of which the FTC said it had received some 20,000 complaints in 2012 — promised consumers free gifts or prizes, including gift cards worth $1,000 to major retailers such as Best Buy, Walmart and Target."
Re:20,000+ people got a free lesson! (Score:4, Insightful)
to be fair, the text is very similar to the message written at the bottom of all walmart reciepts.
the first time i recieved one i suspected it was fakse because no one has the number, i never fill out surveys, and i never shop at walmart. they were targeting people that are the exact opposite of me.
while i didn't know this until i went to walmart recently for the first time in years. the scam is preying on those that are poor enough to apply to the survey in hopes of winning and it is deliberately worded to imply that the reciever has won.
so go ahead and pat yourself on the back for outsmarting scammers, but please reslize that your smugness is completely unnecessary. the people that did get suckered into it had more pressing concerns, namely their life of poverty.
Re:20,000+ people got a free lesson! (Score:4, Insightful)
My thankfulness goes only to my drive to work full time and study full time in a community college at the same time. That's the only reason I am not poor.
But don't let me keep you from fatalistic, lazy belief that poverty or prosperity are results of mere luck.