The U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has adopted regulations that specifically target so-called scam text messages being sent to consumers.
Detailed in a Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking issued in mid-March, the new regulations will require mobile service providers to block certain robotext messages that originate from phone numbers that are unlikely to transmit text messages. Such numbers would include invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers, as well as numbers for which the designated subscriber has self-identified as never sending text messages. The Report and Order also requires mobile wireless services providers to establish a point of contact for text senders that they can use to enquire about blocked texts.
The FCC estimates that text messaging scams have increased more than 500% during recent years, rising from around 3300 in 2015 to nearly 19,000 in 2022. The growing risk to consumers from text messaging scams is reportedly the basis for the Commission’s decision to implement text-specific regulations.
Read the complete text of the FCC’s Report and Order and Further Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on scam texting.
