r/mildlyinfuriating • u/Lock_Psychological • 20d ago

Unskippable ad I keep getting threatening texts

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I get these ALL the time. I’ve never donated to these “people.” Never supported them. Never voted for them. Nor has my wife. I received four of these today. All threats. Always a telling me it’s my last chance. These are some of the less malicious-sounding ones.

I’m not even sure they’re legitimately from those parties, though I wouldn’t put it past them.

So… report as spam. Report as spam. Report as spam.

It isn’t like it’s painful. Just pretty irritating.

13.4k Upvotes

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5.8k

u/SolarOrigami 20d ago

Mark it as spam. If you reply stop, it verifies that your phone number is active

2.6k

u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

I’ve reported it… probably 100+ times.

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u/[deleted] 20d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/Budget_Persimmon_195 19d ago

you cant block them. its a new number every time.

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u/Informal-Comb1989 19d ago

Yeah they spoof numbers and cycle them

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u/chknboy 19d ago

You could report a number to the IC3 website, they specialize crimes related to fraud and unauthorized contact. I did this to spam callers all coming from the same first 6 digits of the phone number, and I never got a call from them again.

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u/JonDoeJoe 19d ago

When you block spoof numbers, which number gets blocked? The hidden real number or the spoofed one?

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u/bookishfairie 20d ago

what is the end goal, though? once they figure out one is active then what?

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u/[deleted] 20d ago

[removed] — view removed comment

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u/bookishfairie 20d ago

oh, okay. thank you for the info.

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u/KevinFlantier 20d ago

That is why you never answer spam calls.

The usual pipeline is :

There is a leak, let's say from your ISP, where they get your phone number as well as your name, maybe your address, your email and some banking info. That list is HOT and costs millions on the dark web.

It will be sold, and those who bought it will immediately spam you in order to

1) verify that the phone number is active

2) try to phish more info by posing as an electricity company / ISP / bank

3) try to scam you into draining your bank account.

But by the time they do that, the list is becoming stale, so they make up a smaller list out of all the people that have answered and that are confirmed to be active, or better yet those who slipped and gave information on themselves. And those lists are endlessly sold again and again. The more you answer, the more you get spammed. Even reading the text is an indication that they should send more spam.

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u/hottestdoge 19d ago

That's how they did it ages ago. Most spam call centers just dial every number. They set a number range and then go down this list numerically.

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u/KevinFlantier 19d ago

I have been in multiple major leaks over the last two years and I've noticed a massive increase in spam calls a month or so after the leak every time. And by massive I mean going from 1-2 spam calls daily to over a dozen, with five or so SMS to boot, calling me by name or trying to pass as my bank. They do buy leaked lists.

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u/Slysparrow9 19d ago

Interesting. I like never get spam calls but I also never answer the phone. I guess years and years of not answering the phone unless I know and want to talk to someone has paid off. Same with texts. If I open it and it seems suspicious, I mark it as unread and report

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u/MarigoldMouna 19d ago

Would each time OP report it as Spam from the text do nothing? Or, would that also mark their number as Active?

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u/Stryxe4ds 19d ago

OR, and hear me out, I always answer in a thick Spanish accent 'Hola que pasa' and I have had one guy yell ' NO HOLA!' and hang up. They don't speak Spanish in India. They cant scam you, you get taken off the list.

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u/KevinFlantier 19d ago

Issue is when they don't talk on the other side of the line. Those calls will listen to you talking, sample your voice and use that to maybe scam your relatives in the future using AI. I have seen it demonstrated and it's surprisingly effective how AI can clone your voice with five seconds of you going "Hello? Is there anyone there? Hello?"

But the upside is that they might try to scam your relatives in Spanish, which is quite a good uno reverse card lmao.

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u/ultraboof 19d ago

anecdotal but I answer every scam call to waste their time and it’s still such a rare occurrence. I get maybe one call every few months on average

1

u/scoper49_zeke 19d ago

I never answer spam. The one time I did ended up with the next 6 years of them calling or texting EVERY day 3-4 times. They kept asking for a name that used to be my mother's ex husband who has now been dead for like two years. Keep calling. Keep blocking.

Finally got sick of it and answered the phone again. Screamed at them to fuck off in every sentence. Stop calling me, no one with that name is at this number and never has been. Take me off you list.

After doing that I haven't had a single call from them in like 4 months now. It was a rare moment where answering somehow actually worked.

1

u/Gimme_Your_Wallet 19d ago

You also don't hang up on them even if you don't pick up in the first place

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u/Zestyclose_Car_4971 20d ago

I’ve tried to be nice, reply to my comment or the law.

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u/DrunkenBandit1 19d ago

They fish for active numbers so they can phish

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u/DaMain-Man 19d ago

It's so stupid how this is a multi million dollar idea: annoying people. Most often or not imagine making money selling phone numbers so that other people can attack them with spam and it's like...how much money are they actually making "doing" something?

They target the same people and each time they get blocked and reported. So not only are they not making money, they're waiting their own time making what I can only assume are bots to do this, but you're also not winning anything

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u/Mister_Spacely 20d ago

They sell it as an active “real” number. And you get more spam.

Probably why OP can’t get rid of these spam texts. OP probably replied to a spam text in the past and their number got registered and sold as an active number.

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u/Oh_Cosmos 20d ago

okay, but even inactive numbers were once active, right? so how the hell do we get off that list? just wait?

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u/Dry_Explanation_9573 20d ago

Yeah that’s pretty much it.

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u/KevinFlantier 20d ago

Yes. Never answer spam calls, never answer masked calls, and never read spam SMS. They can tell if you received them, they can tell if you read them. If you never do they'll figure you are inactive. When they give up on that list and sell it to someone else you're probably flagged as inactive.

Until there's another massive leak and you're on a new hot list and the cycle continues.

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u/Keneta 19d ago edited 19d ago

So, I have a second SIM card that's normally in my computer. It's basically almost never in a phone though I may transfer it to a phone when I want to hotspot across it.

The moment I transfer it to a phone, that phone gets bombarded in accumulated spam texts. I'm baffled trying to understand who keeps trying a number that doesn't respond / has never responded / has never made an outbound call or text.

ETA: I've had it for about 10 yrs, so whoever owned the number before me should have dropped off the lists by now

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u/Yamatocanyon 19d ago

Everyone tells you not to answer. I got pissed off though and just started answering the calls and cussing them out. The calls actually stopped for me.

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u/xtc234 20d ago

They're like prospectors looking for gold who then relay where to dig

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u/neighborofbrak 20d ago

and getting it delivered is enough to verify the number is legit.

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u/nothing_but_thyme 19d ago

As someone that builds tools in this space I can tell you they no longer have to fish for active numbers. If I have your number, I can know quite a lot about it and you before I ever send you a single message. Your full name, likely your address, your carrier, your line type, if the number is active, how long you’ve had the number, and if it’s new to you, when was it moved and who had it before you. That’s just all the info I can get for free. There’s a ton more if I’m willing to pay $0.10 per number.

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u/Ill_Criticism_1685 19d ago

They probably use a different number every time, its how these things work.

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u/NDSU 19d ago

Blocking does less than nothing. These things are sent from spoofed numbers. All you're doing is blocking a random number

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u/Active_Chemistry1621 19d ago

All three, type stop, report it, and block it.

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u/sssparklebutt 20d ago

Can’t you just reply w a pic of him fucking a couch ?

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u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

I don’t have access to his phone, so I don’t have any.

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u/SandSpecialist2523 20d ago

I like that.

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u/Pro-Patria-Mori 20d ago

If you have an iPhone go to

>settings >apps >messages

and turn on the message filter setting. Anything that is a promo, spam, or unknown sender is separated from your regular messages.

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u/mmwhatchasaiyan 19d ago

This didn’t stop mine. It filters a few, but I regularly (like daily) get ones to mine inbox that say shit like “DEMS PASS BILL TO ALLOW ILLEGALS TO MOVE IN WITH YOUR SISTER” or whatever tf they’re on about. It’s obnoxious. I report and block every. Single. Day.

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u/Pro-Patria-Mori 19d ago

Yeah it doesn’t stop them but it categorizes them all in one place, which makes it easier to block and mark as spam.

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u/mmwhatchasaiyan 19d ago

No, what I’m saying is that most get filtered to that spam text folder but others still come through to my regular texts on a daily basis.

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u/Winter-Ad5930 20d ago

Holy cow, I never knew this!! Thank you I’m going into my settings now. Thank you

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u/Veektrol 20d ago

Goated advice

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u/hamish1963 20d ago

BLOCK THEM!

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u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

Again, different numbers, different addresses (that all resolve to the same link), different area codes.

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u/hamish1963 20d ago

Sorry, dude, your probably stuck with it until November.

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u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

Yep. And beyond. Because they need to refill their war chest.

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u/Pure_Salary_8796 20d ago

Time to get a new number

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u/Pick_Up_the_Phone 19d ago

These are not really from the GOP. These are from spammers and scammers.

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u/Lock_Psychological 19d ago

I’d agree except that it takes me to the GOP fundraising site. The same one I get when I Google “donate to gop.”

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u/Pick_Up_the_Phone 19d ago

The goal isn't to get you to click the link. It's to get you to reply to the text. If the link is real, you're more likely to think the text is real.

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u/Lock_Psychological 19d ago

After blocking and reporting hundreds of times, I’ve probably replied “stop” a few dozen times. Maybe that’s their goal. I then hit block anyway. Maybe thay was a mistake. Too late now.

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u/Scherzkeks 20d ago

They must have hos

1

u/Upper_Ad2552 20d ago

Just keep blocking any number that text like this and eventually it stops. I know, because I have at least 50-100 blocked numbers on my phone.

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u/speedycerv 20d ago

To the federal or state? I would do both

1

u/Careless-Flow-6634 19d ago

My older brother always hands out my phone number/ email to volunteers for political campaigns. Do you have any siblings?

1

u/Plane-Champion-7574 19d ago

Don't even waste your time "reporting it". Just block and ignore.

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u/getliftedyo 19d ago

And trump gutted the agency thst protects people from things like this.

1

u/OrganicAverage1 19d ago

I get similar messages from the “democrats” you have to block them. I get fewer now.

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u/Anti_Spedicy 19d ago

Also try signing the numbers up for scams if you wanna go that far

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u/Emerald-Menace5594 19d ago

Honestly i am happy i am not alone!!! I got a new number years ago and whoever had this # was a hugeee MAGA supporter because i get the same texts like the one posted DAILY. Ive reported and wrote “stop” and blocked so many but theres sooo many more that come through. I hate it so much😔

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u/Glittering_Gene8388 19d ago

Threaten them back with lawsuits for harassment

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u/wednesday-knight 17d ago

This reads like voter intimidation to me.

I would call the non-emergency police number and report receiving multiple threatening messages. You're likely one of many people targeted/spammed this way, and you'll have electronic records as evidence for any investigation.

Sorry this is happening to you!

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u/pilgermann 20d ago

Neither works. I get similar texts but from legit Dem organizations. The problem is you're telling one of 1,000 to stop. Reporting spam does nothing, as your phone can't recognize any pattern among the texts and the carriers can't actually block political nonprofits.

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u/SuzQP 20d ago

Welcome to the ActBlue Hellhole. I gave a hundred bucks to Talarico and ActBlue sold my number to every Democrat in the world and each of them is sending beggar-texts on the regular. It is so obnoxious and intrusive I'm not donating anymore.

Somebody at the DNC needs a fucking heads up; this has got to be hurting them financially. Everyone I know is fucking pissed off at this level of harassment.

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u/[deleted] 20d ago edited 12d ago

[deleted]

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u/slowpoke2018 20d ago

Ah Yes, nothing more compelling than hearing a woman worth a couple hundred million saying she needs $10!

 Do these people not have an inner voice telling them how f'd that is?

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u/TwevOWNED 20d ago

Most of the time this is fundraising to distribute funds to other campaigns.

Pelosi was generally popular in her district, which covers a large population of wealthier individuals compared to the rest of the country. Through her, those donations get spread out to hundreds of other races.

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u/BlueBicycle_ 19d ago

But only to the "correct" types of democrats of course

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u/_PirateWench_ 20d ago

Lmao same here. I think I donated a small amount during Obama’s fist run and got out on a list for years. I think at some point I was able to block them so most stopped, but that’s bc I think it was like a legit DNC thing.

Before I got off the list I remember regretting ever contributing anything bc Joe Biden didn’t need to be sending emails begging for $5 to help some dem somewhere win some election…

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u/TwevOWNED 20d ago

The 2021 congress had an even split in the senate and only 11 seats in the house favoring dems.

That fundraising helped secure the razor thin margin that Biden was able to use to pass some of the most progressive legislation since FDR.

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u/Equal_Canary5695 19d ago

Reply back "go to bed Nancy"

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u/Superior_jaguar 19d ago

But Gavin Newsom here just needs 5 minutes of your time…

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u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

And apparently the RNC/GOP as well. Even if there was a chance I’d vote for them (there never was), it’d be 0% now.

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u/NotOnApprovedList 19d ago

yeah I donated a few years ago to some ActBlue stuff and I get frequent spam texts. It's annoying.

Somebody I know is helping an elderly person with dementia, and saw their money was being drained by outfits like ActBlue. Lots of little payments every month that added up. The helper thinks this was at least partly due to the checkbox thing: they thought they were donating once, but missed the checkbox that defaults to monthly instead of one-time donation.

Additionally, the person with dementia was getting so much mail (both email and paper) from Democratic causes and happily sending in money, after all $15 isn't that much right? You give once, they spam you with more begging. Now the person with dementia is in a residential facility. The helper collects their mail and discards reams of begging letters.

I'd heard about that with Republican stuff before, I'm ashamed Democrats are doing it too. Taking advantage of the elderly.

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u/Xaphnir 20d ago

Mine thinks my texts are for some woman I don't know who presumably gave a random number instead of hers and lucky me had it be my number.

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u/ziggytrix 20d ago

Can confirm. Donated, got added to lists, tried to get removed, helped a little but still get too many some weeks, now I block and report spam on anything that looks like a political text.

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u/HighFiveYourFace 19d ago

I had this problem and I finally found the message filter in IPhone to move unknown senders to a separate folder and NOT alert me. Settings>Apps>Messages. Not sure if you use IPhone or not but I am sure Android has similar.

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u/quesoqueso 19d ago

Same, I gave like 10 bucks to a local democrat's campaign against Boebert and i get 3-5 texts a day asking for more.

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u/Wolfwoods_Sister 19d ago

ActBlue is a goddamned nuisance. I signed up for one newsletter that had nothing to do with them, next thing I know I’m getting absolutely peltered with their bullshit.

I informed the original newsletter that not only was I unsubbing from them, I was going to aggressively avoid ANYTHING attached to ActBlue forever. I read the fine print — if I see those MFers named, I’m out. Idc.

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u/navyblusheet 20d ago

They should just stick to email right?

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u/Wrong-Pension-4975 20d ago

I know it's a PITA, but even my less than briiliant "basic Yahoo" e.mail is capable of booting each PERSON who e.mails me to beg for $$.

Ist time I see them, I tag that source as spam. & forever after, it goes to the trash without my needing to toss it, or to even notice.

It's gone.  💖🌈

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u/markuus99 20d ago

If you have a profile on ActBlue, go on there and remove your phone number. I have been trying to stop being buried in political texts for months and finally figured out all the campaigns are getting my number from ActBlue. I took it off and the texts have slowed to a trickle.

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u/Money-Computer7638 20d ago

Thanks for this glimmer of hope....

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u/SaintsNoah14 20d ago

Will have to check this. My cousin in another state that shares only a last name with me is getting messages for me

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u/GravitationalEddie 20d ago edited 20d ago

Replying STOP tells a single campaign to stop using your number as a campaigning contact. Sending in a Statement of Residence with no phone number is more likely to help. Campaigns have access to your contact info on your voter registration. You can't stop the mail, but you can stop calls and texts.

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u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

I’ve done that as well. It doesn’t stop.

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u/GravitationalEddie 20d ago

Honestly, last time I got anything from right-wing politispam, I replied with some words that apparently got the fucking message across. I actually got a simple and concise human reply and haven't seen anything of them other than very sparse snail-mail from small candidates.

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u/Cumbablot 20d ago

Yeah...I've replied with how to make explosives, asked if they wanted to see my experience to join their terror organization. No more texts.

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u/HailSaganPlantNative 16d ago

I've definitely been guilty of rage venting but I never got any response. Probably got put on a watch list or two, though.

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u/Sunder_ 20d ago

So there's not much you can do about the texts, but I've noticed the texts go away when you deal with the calls. For phone calls, you answer, mute, and put the phone down till they hang up. It probaby flags some kinda of time wasting measure or they flag it as a dead number because there's no response. Slowly they remove your number from the list, and said list is likely tied to texts as well.

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u/Lock_Psychological 20d ago

They don’t call.

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u/Little-Derp Why This is a Rock and Not Cheese 19d ago

Pretty sure there's so rule or law that prevents providers from treating legitimate political advertising as spam. Google and others had to stop blocking it, so now it gets through; shame too, because they were doing a good job at keeping inboxes and chats/texts clean before that a few years ago.

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u/kog 19d ago

If you reply stop, you are added to future lists as a live number. Do not do it.

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u/Hizam5 20d ago

Never reply STOP, that’s for sure; I agree. But the spam never stops with these no matter how many times you report it. And when/if they do stop, another one just takes its place

I was getting bombarded by texts saying “hi it’s claire, im an arborist working in your neighborhood. Let us know if you need your trees cut” about twice a day for all of July and August. Those have stopped but in its place are calls saying they’re the IRS and want to help me pay my taxes (I have spam block so they just leave voicemails). I block each one and new number calls me 4 hours later.

The most ironic and non believable part is it always says the “US Internal Revenue Service” is calling me from somewhere in Canada 😂

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u/BeeepBoopN0tB0t 20d ago

Perfect time to get spoof numbers of your own. So whichever spoof email and number gets the call you know exactly who sold your info.

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u/Xaphnir 20d ago edited 20d ago

In my experience replying stop does actually get them to stop for a little bit. Before I tried it I had an endless barrage for something like 2-3 years despite not replying a single time and just blocking and deleting the number every time. Not replying to them will not make them stop.

If I had to guess, they have some way to tell that your phone number is active simply from the fact that you received the text.

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u/correctingStupid 20d ago

They change numbers. They literally use spammer techniques but they are immune to the law. In fact telecommunications companies cannot block or filter these. It's illegal.

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u/Burt_Rhinestone 19d ago

My phone number used to belong to a woman named Betty from Texas. I am a man from PA. I just keep replying with some version of, "I'm voting Talarico, you effing fascists. I hope all of the kids are trans flag burners."

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u/Apprehensive_Rub3897 19d ago

But that verification is how "they know" not to send your phone the message. Without knowing your phone number, how are they (the SMS provider, not the campaign) supposed to know they can't send you messages.

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u/Undeclared_Mustard Hillary 2016 19d ago

I've been replying with "get a real job" and that seems to piss them off enough for me to never hear from them again

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u/BORED-AT-TWERK 19d ago

read receipts ALSO tell that the phone is active, so truly don't even open it.

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u/anonymous122 19d ago

This is actually wrong. These are registered political A2P messaging campaigns. Blocking this number doesn't block the other 50 on the account, but STOP is often enforced in between the content provider (this politician) and the business they use to send their spam. This is for sure shitty spam but legitimate. If they continue to message you after sending STOP you can file a TCPA complaint and potentially make some money.

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u/movzx 20d ago

STOP is implemented at the network level. It never makes it to the recipient.

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u/tim36272 20d ago

Really? Source?