The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) says it is doing something about the scourge of scam text messages that have been inundating consumers for years. These unsolicited robotexts, which often lead to phishing websites or malware, are difficult to ignore and often result in consumers being taken advantage of.
Unlike robocalls, which can be more easily ignored, scam text messages are typically read immediately. The FCC's new rules will require mobile service providers to block messages that appear to come from invalid, unallocated, or unused numbers.
While this is encouraging, remember that the FCC has a long history of not following through on promises to protect consumers.
