Spam text messages sent from email address

[Joshralph]

VERIZON, 

LISTEN VERY CAREFULLY: 

• We CANNOT block a SMS text number when the SPAM text was not sent from a number. Your suggestion to do this is useless. 
• These text messages are group messages that originate from a different Gmail address ("spammer" @ gmail.com) every time.
• The spammers are sending these to "VZW_phone_number" @ vzwpix.com or  "VZW_phone_number" @ mypixmessages.com
  • I've noted that I can see at least 14 other numbers included in a group message. Nearly all of the visible numbers share the same area code and local exchange number as me, and in most cases, they all begin with the same starting digit for the last four numbers that I have. 
  • Frequently, my own number is not even in the list of numbers that I can see, but numbers that are similar to mine are plainly visible.
• The "spammer" name for the Gmail address changes with *every* text message, so we can't just block a Gmail email address because it changes every time. Of the five (5) messages I received in the last 24 hours alone, they were sent from the following Gmail addresses:
  • @ gmail.com
  • @ gmail.com
  • @ gmail.com
  • @ gmail.com
  • @ gmail.com
  • Yesterday, I received three (3) of these messages, and they came from the following Gmail addresses: 
    •  @ gmail.com
    • @ gmail.com
    • @ gmail.com
• I have three (3) separate times in the last 24 hours selected the checkboxes on your BLOCKS page to "Block all text messages sent from the web" and "Block all text messages sent from email." Each time I log off and then receive ANOTHER spam email using "my_phone_number"@vzwpix.com, I go back to your BLOCKS page and these check boxes are, once again, cleared! 
  • Even after selecting these options this morning, I have still received two (2) more of these messages from the web today! 

This is so clearly a failure of your systems to turn off this useless and clearly corrupted feature that it boggles my mind you haven't done it already. 

I last used the vzwpix.com address to send an image to my phone when I was still using a Palm Treo handset. This VZW "feature" is useless in today's age of smartphones and has no business being enabled except to allow spammers access to our digital lives. You MUST, and I repeat, ***MUST*** either permanently disable this now archaic and useless "feature" that has become a SERIOUS SECURITY FLAW or at the very least fully enable users to turn it off and ensure turning it off actually works! 

I have seven (7) unlimited lines with Verizon, and have been a customer for more than 20 years. This obvious security hole that poses serious privacy concerns has NO BUSINESS BEING ALLOWED, and if allowed to continue shows an obvious lack of concern for the digital security of VZW's customers. As an IT professional, I will not stand for this and will be forced to take my business elsewhere if it cannot be remedied quickly. 

[vzw_customer_support]

Joshralph, your more than 20 years with us are greatly appreciated & we would never want to see you leave us. We want to make sure that you're not receiving any spam messages. I regret that you're still receiving a lot of spam messages even after the various ways we have to block them. There are many that you may still get, but the good thing is that you can block them. Please take a look at this page https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-301493/ that shows how you can forward this to 7726 to get it blocked. Sometimes people "disguise"/spoof the email address/number that they are sending it from, so it can be difficult to stop things all together so quickly. You have to copy the link and paste it into 7726, then it will have you type the email address as a reply.  By forwarding these to 7726, that brings specific examples for us to review with the FCC to determine where these are coming from, so we can resolve it from the source. If you do keep receiving these spam messages, you always do have the option to change your phone number. We realize that is not the most favorable choice, but it is an option that you do have. You can change your phone number for free with the steps here https://www.verizon.com/support/knowledge-base-216887/ I hope this information is helpful.

-Alicia

[dtmuller]

Verizon is already aware that their "text from e-mail" blocking feature blocks only messages sent to the vtext address and still sends through those sent to vzwpix addresses. They don't care and won't do anything about it.

Because they insist on enabling fraud by refusing to close this hole--which is a trivially easy change to make--I've filed a complaint with the FCC. We'll see what happens.

[vzw_customer_support]

We do care about you. No one likes getting Spam messages including myself. I would love to look into this for you. Please tell me more about what is happening.  

-Amber