Giving out someone’s phone number to telemarketers and signing them up to receive spam calls and texts is an unfortunate reality in today’s digital world. While no one enjoys receiving unsolicited sales calls and spam messages, some mischievous folks see it as an opportunity for pranks or revenge. This guide will outline several sneaky ways to submit a phone number to marketing lists resulting in relentless sales calls and text spam.
How to Sign Up Phone Number For Spam Calls:
Here are some underhanded techniques for enrolling an unsuspecting phone number to receive frequent telemarketing calls:
1. Give A Phone Number To Telemarketers
One easy way to bombard someone with sales calls is to directly provide their number to live telemarketers during calls. Telemarketers typically ask for a callback number so they can follow up with more promotions. When they call and ask for your information, simply give them the target’s phone number instead of your own.
This signs them up to be contacted again in the future. Each telemarketer call provides an opportunity to submit the phone number to additional lists resulting in multiplying sales calls. Even if the number is on the federal National Do Not Call Registry, unscrupulous telemarketers will still call it if given directly.
2. Sign Someone Up For Spam Texts
Many companies now use SMS text messaging for promotions. Signing up a phone number to receive spam texts is similarly easy. Look for online sites or ads offering free coupons, prizes, or other deals via text and input the target’s mobile number.
Even if they don’t consent to receive the messages, just entering their number adds it as a lead to be contacted. The number can also be entered on online feedback surveys, contest entries, or service signup forms which often get sold to marketers.
3. Post ads online by using the victim’s Phone Number
Posting classified ads for classifieds for things like apartment rentals or car sales with the target’s phone number prominently displayed leads to a deluge of unsolicited calls. Sites like Craigslist allow completely free ad postings in many categories optimized for lead generation.
The ad copies can even suggest calling about additional services to maximize calls. This forces the victim to deal with a flood of inquiries about something they know nothing about. For those seeking pure annoyance, the fake ad’s descriptions can even be offensive or outrageous to provoke angry calls.
4. Online Surveys, Forms, And Free Trial Registration
Many websites offer free trials, prizes, or cash for completing a registration form or survey. The catch is they require entering credit card and contact information which they use for marketing purposes or sell to other companies. Signing someone up with their phone number on these forms leads to endless sales calls, texts, and emails.
Some sites even auto-enroll people in paid subscriptions or services after the “free trial” which takes advantage of the entered payment info. This means the target will have to spend time contesting the charges in addition to dealing with spam messages.
How To Spam Phone Number
Beyond manually giving out the number, there are services and apps that allow bombing someone’s phone with endless calls and texts:
1. Blowupthephone
This website lets users anonymously prank call a phone number by allowing them to schedule unlimited automated voice calls and SMS texts to a target number. These robotexting services charge a fee to repeatedly spam a number with random messages that cannot be blocked or traced.
2. Spoofbox
Spoofbox offers an app that can disguise the caller ID so prank calls appear to come from any fake number. This makes it seem like the calls are from someone the victim may know, increasing odds they’ll answer. The app also has voice-changing features to further disguise the caller identity.
3. Textemnow
Similar to Blowupthephone.com, this site lets users send unlimited SMS text blasts to a chosen phone number. The texts contain gibberish phrases or randomly generated words that will quickly flood the target’s phone with confusing messages.
4. Sendrandomfacts
For a more tame but still annoying prank, users can use this website to sign up victims to receive hourly text messages containing random fun facts and trivia. There is no subscription fee, but the nonstop facts can drive a recipient crazy.
5. Messagebomber
Messagebomber provides tools to let pranksters send hourly SMS spam texts or force ring the victim’s phone repeatedly even if they don’t answer. This can go on endlessly with the aim of running down the target’s phone battery.
6. Armsms.
This SMS bombing site has free and paid plans to blast text spam to a number. For a few dollars, users can schedule hundreds of messages to be sent randomly over days or weeks. The texts are sent from randomly generated numbers.
7. Textem.
Similar to other SMS bombing tools, Textem.net lets users send floods of random spam texts to a chosen number. Plans range from 25 texts for $2 up to 5,000 texts for $150.
8. Sendanonymoussms
As the name suggests, this site offers an anonymous SMS texting service users can abuse to harass or prank victims. Anonymity makes it hard to block the texts since they come from changing short-code numbers.
9. Autosender app:
Available for Android and iPhone, this SMS spam app lets you rapidly text bomb any number directly from a mobile device discreetly. No website signup is required to overload someone’s phone with texts.
10. EZ texting:
While intended for legitimate business purposes, services like EZ Texting could also be misused to spam a number by using its mass texting features. Up to 25,000 texts can be sent per month through some plans.
These are just a few of the many tools scammers and pranksters leverage to bombard victims with endless calls and texts from constantly changing numbers. It forces them to deal with the disturbance of perpetual ringing and vibrating as their phones are overloaded with nonsense messages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is Telemarketing And Why Is It Called Spam?
Telemarketing refers to sales calls conducted over the phone rather than in-person. When unwanted telemarketing calls come in high volumes, they are considered spam because they are unsolicited and unwanted like email spam.
How To Give A Phone Number To Telemarketers?
Submit the target’s phone number on lead generation forms, feedback surveys, contest entries, warranty cards, or directly to live telemarketers during calls. This adds them to marketing lists even if the number is on the National Do Not Call Registry.
How to Sign-Up For Free Trials With Real Phone Numbers?
Many websites offer free trials of products or cash bonuses for completing registration forms or surveys. Provide the victim’s actual phone number when signing up to enroll them in recurring messages, calls, and subscription plans.
Where To Buy Phone Numbers For Telemarketing?
Telemarketers purchase lead lists through data brokers and list compilers. As a last resort, marketers can generate random number lists by brute force calling all possible combinations within a certain area code and exchange.
Conclusion
In summary, giving out someone’s number to spammers is unethical and illegal. But determined pranksters use the tactics outlined above to sign up victims for unwanted calls and texts. If you are on the receiving end, registering with the National Do Not Call List, using call blocking tools, and avoiding sharing your number publicly can help reduce unsolicited messages. Don’t let scammers and schemers make you a target for phone and text spam.
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Ethan Pelsaert, a tech enthusiast and avid writer for TechCleen.com, delves into the realms of tech gadgets, smartphones, social media, computers, and emerging technologies. With a passion for innovation, John explores and shares insights on the latest trends shaping our digital world
