Life is either a daring adventure or nothing

I have read about such explicit marketing SMSes in the newspaper recently, however I didn't pay much attention to it until two weeks ago, I received a somewhat similar SMS. I brushed it off assuming again that it was probably just a mis-sent. However, I received this above SMS on my handphone just two days ago. It raises my concern and seems that the content of this "marketing" SMS is getting more raunchy and explicit!

Let me translate what the SMS says:

ADV: Sexy voices hotline, quench your desire for love, re-igniting the passionate love within you @ XXXX-XXX-XXXX (island-wide lowest rate of $0.78/min. Indulge yourself in passion! To unsubscribe, reply 'CR')

Shocking! A couple of thoughts flashed through my mind the moment I received it. How in the world did these people get my handphone number? What happens if a young child receives such an SMS? Gosh! The propagation of pornography is really rampant... seemingly EVERY platform of information transmition has been 'utilized' to become avenues of flooding pornography or sexual connotative materials!

You may or may not have received such SMSes before, but brace yourselves for them to come. Such spams and floodings are going to be the common thing in this digital age as everyone is working through all channels to get everyone's attention via every means.

Honestly, there's just no way to track down how they got my mobile number and try to ban them. After a while it will still come back again. But there are still ways we can help ourselves.. so let me, the Cyber Wellness guru, share with you some practical tips:

1. When you receive such spam SMSes, delete it immediately! You never know.. some of these SMSes may be tagged along with a virus that will damage your handphone! Do not forward to your friends as well!

2. DO NOT be drawn in and call back to these hotline. Firstly it is for your personal well-being. A lot of these SMS are just but a front to attract people. Behind it lurks the danger of pornography and sexual services. Secondly, you may think that 0.78cents/min is petty cash. You're WRONG! Once you call, the hotline services will just lure you with those purring and seductive voices and before you know it, it's 30 minutes! 30 minutes X 0.78 cents = $23.40!

3. DO NOT unsubscribe from these marketing SMS by replying to them. E.g. in my case above, replying "CR" back to the sender won't help. Because most of these SMS are mass spamming - they are just randomly sending out to everyone within this series of mobile number i.e. 9100 0001, 9100 0002, 9100 0003.....etc. By replying, you are effectively telling them that your number is Active and they will just keep spamming you with more of such SMSes! So the best way is to just ignore and delete.