Article: "Spammers Have Your Number" by Roger O. Crockett; Business Week 11/26/07, p.42

Crockett's article discusses how spam is appearing more and more on the cell phone now. This year mobile spam messages are predicted to rise to about 1.5 million, which seems like a large number, but in reality it's small compared to the 250 million Americans who use cell phones. Security experts fear that phone spam will grow in the future. Unfortunately, this problem will impact consumers' pocketbooks. Cell phone users are charged for text messages--sometimes up to 20 cents per message. Phone companies try to block as much of the "SPIT" (spam over Internet telephony) as they can coming from overseas operators usually, but they simply can't block them all.

I personally have received a couple of these spam text messages, and it truly is frustrating. My family and I don't text much; therefore, we don't have any type of plan and we have to pay for each individual text message. This is scary. I hate all the spam I get each and every day in my email accounts. I certainly don't want that to start happening with my cell phone, too--well, I wouldn't be able to afford it. I hope the phone companies find a way to stop this, and I hope these telemarketing companies will get a conscience and start living by a code of ethics.