Text prank aimed at Houston Zoo

According to dialaphone, this weekend the Dublin Zoo (and not the Houston Zoo as previously reported) switchboard was jammed with thousands of calls per day asking to speak to “Mr G Raff” and a host of other animal names, following a prank text message.

But someone is using cell phone text messages to monkey around with the Houston Zoo, too according to the Houston Chronicle. Zoo officials have asked the FBI to investigate a possibly malicious texting campaign that has deluged the main switchboard with telephone calls, including 3,500 received on Sunday — about 10 times the normal volume.

The calls are prompted when a cell phone user receives a cryptic text message, such as: "Somebody talking down on you, look for them." The text is followed by the zoo's main phone number: 713-533-6500.

The phone calls have come in spurts since April 22, said Brian Hill, a zoo spokesman. He urged people who receive text messages with the zoo's phone number not to call."

Chinese Firm Sends 230 Million SMS Spams Daily

Some eighty percent of SMS spam in China is sent by just one company, according to an article published in theBeijing Morning Post.

"Focus Wireless' Zhengzhou subsidiary sends out 200 million SMS every single day - while several other company subsidiaries send out upwards of 30 million SMS per day."

[The Raw Feed via Cellular News]

Cellphone viruses a growing concern

Security systems can now block the first computer viruses attack on cell phones, but the mobile industry sees new risks stemming from upcoming open software platforms such as Google's Android.

[via Stuff]

Kenya: Using SMS to spread rumours

What An African Woman Thinks writes about negative uses of SMS in Kenya: “Regarding the escalating violence in Kenya, the ICRC spokesman in the country, one Bernard Barret is quoted as saying that rumours are being spread by mobile phone text messages predicting imminent attacks by one group or another and that this is heightening tensions.”

Sadly I can validate that this was the case even in the diaspora. Just before the election there was a text message circulated in the Kikuyu community declaring that an uncircumcised boy (they used the Kikuyu term kahee) can never be the next president of Kenya.

One Response to “Kenya: Using SMS to spread rumours”

The sad thing about hate is that it will always be transmitted through whatever communication channels are available to it. On the bright side the same thing can be said about love, peace and togetherness.

[via Global Voices Online]

Mobile Phone Death Threat "virus" Arrives in Angola

Phone users in Angola seem to have been hit by a variant of the fake phone warnings which affected many users in Pakistan and Afghanistan last year. The warnings, often spread by SMS, but also by word of mouth claimed that "as soon as you answer your phone blood comes out of your mouth, nose and ears and you die"

Unitel spokesman, Henrique da Silva, who considered the rumours as a "bad joke".

"It's a bad joke, and we are asking our customers to keep calm and we encourage you to handle your cellphones without any problems. There is no computing virus causing death to human beings", stressed the official."

[via Cellular News]

iPhone gets a virus

An iPhone virus has been reportedly making the rounds.

Uberphones thinks this may turn out to be a blessing in disguise for Apple because it only affects iPhone's which are unlocked.

Another odd thing, rumor has it the virus in question was designed by an 11-year old kid.

Authorities Warn Of Scam To Steal Cell Phone Minutes

a new scheme to steal cell phone minutes. MSNBC reports.

"Frank Allen told NBC 5 News that he lost his cell phone on a flight from Dallas Fort-Worth to Baton Rouge, but he thought luck was on his side when he got a call from someone claiming to be from American Airlines' lost and found department.

"I didn't realize it, but I left my cell phone on the plane," Allen said. It turned out that caller was a fake, NBC 5 News reported.

"They were just getting me not to suspend phone (service) with Verizon so they could begin downloading as fast as they could go," Allen said.

The thieves had 13 days to download items such as ringtones. Allen had a cell phone bill between $7,000 and $8,000.

Most cell phone providers hold customers responsible for bogus charges when they don't report the phone stolen -- which is something Allen was duped into not doing. "

Mobile phone firm in trouble over Sikh joke SMS

Indian police are taking action against Anil Ambani, chairman of large Indian telecommunications service provider Reliance Communications. The action happened after Reliance Communications's mobile network circulated a joke that offended the Sikh community. PC Advisor reports.

"The SMS created a furore among Sikhs, who have traditionally been the butt of rude jokes questioning their intelligence.

Ambani and the other company officials have been charged under a section of the Indian Penal Code which relates to deliberate and malicious acts, intended to outrage religious feelings."

FTC warns of cellphone scam

An e-mail warning consumers that cellphone numbers will soon be released to telemarketers is making the rounds again, and government officials have a key detail they'd like to add: it's totally bogus. USA Today reports.

"The e-mails say that recipients must add their cellphone numbers to the federal government's Do Not Call registry by a certain deadline in order to avoid being deluged by telemarketing calls.

But there is no deadline, cellphone numbers aren't about to be released to telemarketers and it is already illegal for most telemarketers to call mobile phones, the Federal Trade Commission said Friday.

It's against the law for telemarketers to use automated dialing to reach cellphones, pagers or any other service in which the recipient has to pay for the call. Automated dialing is used by most telemarketers.

The e-mail rumor has circulated before, but Mitchell Katz, a spokesman for the FTC, said the agency has experienced a recent surge in calls and inquiries about it."

Text Spy Adds Bluetooth Installation

160characters.org reports on software that can send a copy of all text messages to/from a mobile automatically and undetected has added Bluetooth as a way of installation on the target phone.

"Once the software is installed on a target phone, the telephone number can be set with a predefined monitoring number.

Then whenever someone places a call to or from the target phone, their telephone numbers, voice recordings and text messages can be heard and recorded by someone calling from the phone with the predefined number.

The software also provides a means of determining where a cell phone is geographically at a given moment.

... The software can be used to check a wayward spouse's phone, see if your teenager is dealing drugs or has fallen in with the wrong crowd, track a stolen car, see if employees are sharing secrets and keep track of members of a sales force, or use as a mobile baby monitor.

The company says that it’s impossible to find out, or to be sure that the software has been installed on your phone. The only way to remove it would be a hard reset to factory defaults that will loose any settings, contacts, software or anything else saved on your phone". More details www.mobile-secuware.com.

Spanish police arrest creator of mobile phone virus

Spanish police said on Saturday they have arrested a 28-year-old man on suspicion of creating and spreading a virus that affected more than 115,000 high-end mobile phones. [via Phys.org]

"The virus struck Bluetooth-enabled phones that run on the Symbian operating system and it was disguised as messages claiming to contain erotic images, sports information or virus protection software.

It caused millions of euros (dollars) in damage to both the owners of the mobile phones as well as to mobile services providors, the police statement said."

Greece. Phone sex ring made millions

Twelve people have been arrested on suspicion of running a business that earned 6 million euros over two years by encouraging people to send text messages or call a hotline to arrange dates with women, police in Athens said yesterday, reports eKathimerini.

"People were invited to call a phone number to fix a date with the women but were in fact calling a premium-rate number and were kept waiting without ever speaking to anyone. Callers this year alone spent more than 53,600 hours trying to get through to the service.

Those sending text messages were charged between 1.40 and 3.75 euros per SMS to flirt with the women. After the exchange of a few messages, the victims would stop receiving replies. Police said that more than 525,000 text messages had been sent since the start of the year.

The telephone numbers were advertised on a TV channel that broadcast hardcore pornography from a building in Drapetsona, near Piraeus, where the phone sex company was also based. Police are looking for the owner of the company. Five of those arrested are women."

Indonesia. Hoax tsunami SMS triggers mass panic

Thousands of people fled their homes in panic on the Indonesian coast after hoax text messages spread warning them that a tsunami will hit the region, reports The Gulf Times.

"The possibility is that a tsunami may take place on June 7,” said part of text message that is widely circulating in various coastal areas of Nusa Tenggara province.

The regional meteorology and geophysics office said that the SMS warning did not come from their office.

“Earthquakes and tsunami cannot be predicted and we have not issued such warning,” office head Rivai Marulak said. "However, most residents refused to return to their coastal home fearing if the rumor should come true, the journalist added."

Hong Kong spammers face jail

Hong Kong spammers will face big fines and a long jail terms under a new law to control unsolicited advertising, reports ABC Radio Australia.

"Officials say a new ordinance will regulate all messages sent by electronic means that advertise or promote goods or services, including faxes, emails, SMS text and pre-recorded voice messages.

Violators could be fined up to $US128,000 and face up to five years in jail. "

Prank of virus causing death through cell phones creates panic

Mobile service providers in Pakistan have been inundated by calls from subscribers worried by a prank message that they could die of a deadly virus being transmitted via their phones. Reuters reports.

"The rumor was so effective that some mosques in the country's biggest city, Karachi, made announcements that people were being killed by a mobile virus and they should be aware of God's wrath.

In a prank reminiscent of the plot in the hit Hollywood movie "The Ring" in which people die within a week after watching a video, the prankster warned users that a deadly virus transmitted through phones had killed 20 people.

The cellular operators moved to calm down subscribers and said in a joint statement: "These rumors are completely baseless. They do not make any sense in technological terms."

SMS of AIDS injected melons spreads fear in Qatar

In Qatar, a widely-circulated SMS text message spread panic amongst the population, claiming that over one million melons had been smuggled into the country, injected with the AIDS virus, reports The Peninsula

After investigation, the The Ministry of Interior sent out the following statement. “During the past 24 hours there was a circulation of rumour through SMS text messages saying one million melons injected with AIDS virus have been smuggled into Qatar through Al Shamal road.

The Ministry of Interior confirms what have been stated in the SMS messages is false and did not come from any official source. We think there is no justification for the circulation of this SMS or cause of worry because of this false rumour”, the statement issued to media said.

The Ministry also flashed its statement through SMS texts to the immediately available mobile numbers."

Update: According to Judeooscope, a similar text message is spreading through Saudi Arabia ,claiming melons entering the kingdom from Israel are infected with AIDS causes frenzy.

Hijack scare in plane due to passenger's SMS

A Delhi-bound Indigo Airlines plane, with 138 passengers and three crew members on board, returned to the N S C Bose International airport after a hijack-scare triggered by a passenger's SMS to her relative. PTInews reports.

"An SMS stating that a terrorist was on board was found to be a hoax as a thorough search of the aircraft yeiled nothing, Airports Authority of India (AAI) sources said.

The woman passenger was detained for interrogation for allegedly sending the SMS to her relative that caused the scare."

Australian commuters receive text threat

About 10,000 Australian commuters who subscribe to the train operator's timetable messaging service received the threatening text message last night after hackers broke into the system.
The Sydney Morning Herald reports.

"The message read: ALLAHU AKBR FROM CONNEX! our inspectorS Love Killing people - if you see one coming, run. Want to bomb a train? they will gladly help. See you in hell!

... Passwords had been changed to protect the system's security and police were also investigating."

Couple Sued for Sending 5 Million Spam SMS

Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan has filed a lawsuit against Neela Pundit and Charles Rossop for sending 5 million unsolicited text messages to cell phone owners across the country, reports Infozine.

"More than 200 consumers complained in Illinois alone after receiving the advertisements in October and November 2006 which read: "We have someone interested in buying or renting your Time Share" and encouraged recipients to visit two internet websites."

Pork sales down in Beijing following SMS hoax health warning

Beijing butchers have reported pork sales are down by two-thirds following text messaging rumors that the meat in the capital contained a virus could lead to brain disease. People's Daily Online reports.

"A month before the beginning of the Year of the Pig, a mobile phone text message was circulated saying, "Do not eat pork at the moment. Pork in Beijing has been contaminated by a virus that can cause encephalitis, which can damage the brain."

Other versions of the message claimed that an insider from China's Ministry of Health had broken the news, and that presidents from all major Beijing-based hospitals were conferring for a solution.

The Beijing municipal government officially refuted the rumor on January 13. But the government's assurances have fallen on the deaf ears of many Beijing residents. China Daily reported cases of Beijingers, who had eaten pork, suffering psychosomatic attacks - complaining of an upset stomach or an imaginary pain."

Previously: - China warns: SMS Rumors Will Lead To Imprisonment

China warns: SMS Rumors Will Lead To Imprisonment

The Beijing Municipal Public Security Bureau has announced that rumormongers using SMS to spread false information will be sentenced to more than five years in prison if convicted.
China Tech News reports.

The warning was issued following a false rumor that spread causing widespread panic, warning people not to eat pork as some may contain a virus that would cause cephalitis.

"... Some pigs in the Tongzhou District of Beijing died for unknown reasons and were sold in the market in the form of pork, ham and sausage. The short message warned people not to eat pork as some may contain a virus that would cause purulent cephalitis."

Related:

-- India. Spreading rumors by SMS can lead to de-activating cell phone

-- Malaysia. SMS rumour-mongers face arrest

China Mobile To Launch Spam SMS Reporting Service

Pacifc Epoch reports that China Mobile plans to launch a spam SMS reporting service on March 1 enabling users to report spam SMS messages by forwarding the offending SMS to service number 10086999 or calling 10086 directly.

Phone Viruses. Be afraid (or not)

Science Central looks into the history of cell phone viruses and explains why, as cell phones become smarter, the change of infection increases.

"The first cell phone virus was created in 2004, named Cabir. While it spread rapidly worldwide by bluetooth, the virus itself caused little damage - other than emptying the battery - to infected phones.

... One particularly dangerous cell phone virus the F-Secure team is studying is a type of trojan, or a virus that appears like a legitimate program but actually has destructive code contained inside.

Columbia University computer scientist Angelos Keromytis, who has worked with computer viruses and networking security for more than 10 years, is more cautious. ""It is possible that the threat will never fully mature, but of course that's not an excuse or a reason to not take it seriously," he says."

Police Identify Malaysian SMS Hoaxer

Police in Malaysia say that they have traced the originator of a viral SMS which resulted in a mass protest being staged outside a Church earlier this week, reports http://www.cellular-news.com/story/20347.php

"The SMS had alleged that a group of Muslims were to be baptized into the Christian faith at the Silibin Church in Ipoh on Sunday. Over 1,000 people marched on the Church in protest at the baptisms after receiving an SMS informing them of the event."

Verizon Sues SMS Spammers

Over the past few months, Verizon Wireless has filed several additional lawsuits against people and companies who sent unwanted text messages to their wireless subscribers, according to Cellular News.

"These lawsuits are just a small part of our company's efforts to stop unwanted messages from reaching our customers' handsets," said Steve Zipperstein, vice president and general counsel, Verizon Wireless. "Verizon Wireless remains committed to defending the strong wall of customer privacy we've built over the years through our network practices and our industry leading pro-consumer policies."

Spooky chain-SMS

A viral SMS from a ghost is currently infecting the minds and mobile phones of Danish pre-teenagers, according to the Danish newspaper Politiken, reports Guerilla-Innovation.

The SMS contains a message saying: "Hello, I am Cordelia. I died in a fire 10 years ago. Unless you send this message on to 10 other people, I will come to your room tonight and stare at you. I look like a three-year old - without a face. I will show up every night. You have seven minutes to send this".

This brings to mind an earlier story, first sighted on Wap.com in the Fall of 2001, which should calm Danish fears; ghosts don't like cell phones. "Ghost sightings and other paranormal events started declining when mobile phones were introduced, due to unusual electrical activity which could be drowned out by the electronic noise produced by phone calls and text messages".

Samsung Offers Mobile Phone Vaccine

According to The Korea Times, Samsung Electronics plans to offer an anti-mobile virus solution to users of its new model, the SPH-M4500.

"Software incorporated into a compact disk will detect mobile viruses and cure them. The program needs to be installed on a personal computer before connecting to a cell phone to scan for viruses and kill them."

Stealth Attack Drains Cell Phone Batteries

Following McAfee's SMSishing warning/scare earlier this week of hackers sending out SMS messages to mobile users - coaxing them into downloading unsuspecting software containing Trojan horse viruses - today, Science Daily reports on "stealth attacks" that drain cell phone batteries. [via digg]

"Cell phones that can send or receive multimedia files could be targeted by an attack that stealthily drains their batteries, leaving cellular communications networks useless, according to computer security researchers at UC Davis, in a lab test.

Chen, and graduate students Denys Ma and Radmilo Racic, found that the MMS protocol, which allows cell phones to send and receive pictures, video and audio files, can be used to send packets of junk data to a cell phone. Every time the phone receives one of these packets, it "wakes up" from standby mode, but quickly discards the junk packet without ringing or alerting the user. Deprived of sleep by repeated pulses of junk data, the phone's batteries run down up to 20 times faster than in regular use."

English Spam Floods Japanese Cell Phones

A large volume of English-language junk messages - marketing male impotence drugs- has been sent to Japanese mobile phones from overseas since late last month, according to Wireless Watch Japan.

"According to the Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry, unsolicited e-mails have been sent to mobile phones in Japanese before, but this is the first confirmed instance of English-language junk e-mails."

Korea: Steps Taken to Curb Mobile Spam

In a measure aimed at stopping spammers, Korea's cell phone users will later this year be prohibited from sending more than 1,000 messages a day from their handsets, reports The Korea Times.

"Ordinary citizens will not be affected by the policy because it is practically impossible for them to send 1,000 messages a day on a cell phone. Just mobile spammers may surpass the mark as they use devices specifically designed for sending out spam,'' he said.

.. According to government data, in May last year Koreans received an average 0.62 spam messages a day on their cell phones. The figure rose to 0.74 in November 2005 and 0.99 this May."