When Spam Hits Your Cell Phone

With a boom in sending cell-phone text messages — more than 1 billion a month in the U.S.--spammers are targeting your mobile phone. "Not only do you have to wade through all of it, but you have to pay for it when it's on your phone," says David Chamberlain, research director for Probe Research in Cedar Knolls, N.J. Increasingly, cellular-service providers are offering a limited number of free text messages per month, but additional messages can cost from 10 to 25 each. According to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), the Telephone Consumer Protection Act of 1991--amended in June to include the highly publicized National Do Not Call Registry — covers unsolicited cell-phone traffic, with a $500 fine for abusers. Says the FCC's Dan Rumelt: "Consumers should file complaints with us." In addition, consumer advocates and the FCC recommend that you ask your cell-phone service how it deals with text-message spam under your plan.