Just a quick update on my post yesterday about trying to stop Eureka from spamming me with SMS’s. According to Future Mobility the company that Eureka hired to send out the SMS’s, the service doesn’t rely on phone numbers.
Eureka used an Ad Zone geo-targeted SMS service that Future Mobility provides. This service doesn’t rely on numbers, instead, it automatically sends SMS messages to customers physically present in a selected area, using the operator’s mobile towers.
Future Mobility doesn’t have control over which numbers receive these messages, it depends entirely on the telecom operator. What they recommended to me is to activate a Zain service called Do Not Disturb (DND). I don’t know what that service is and can’t find any info on the Zain website so looks like I’m going to have to call Zain to find out.
It’s really interesting though, I assumed bulk SMS services required phone numbers, the fact they don’t is both fascinating and upsetting since even if you work hard to keep your number out of databases, you’ll still get SPAM.
12 replies on “Update on the Eureka SMS SPAM”
The bottom line is everyone and everything sells your data and numbers without your knowledge and consent in Kuwait, simply because there are no laws what so ever that protect the consumer regarding this.
I think what they are referring to by DND, is to ask Zain to stop you from receiving all ads, which is also not a solution because you need some messages (that might be labelled as ads), like your banks SMS service
This is ridiculous
This is the most dystopian thing I have read. How is this legal?
” it automatically sends SMS messages to customers physically present in a selected area, using the operator’s mobile towers.”
How is that even legal ???
If you call Zain or your operator you can ask for them to add you to DND. You won’t get marketing messages but you will still get otp messages.
For sms marketing, companies are required to register their ID either as notification service or marketing. So banking etc are registered as notification and will always be sent.
For marketing, if you are on the list of DND the sender can’t send you any messages.
Absolutely right Karim thats how it works so this way you don’t loose your transactional and important messages and by enabling DND with your any service provider you can get rid of Marketing messages. This really works
Zain: to block advertising sms send : ad off to 99999
It will help in a lot of ways, but still won’t stop them all.
https://x.com/ZainKuwait/status/437479645366071296
There’s a key step missing here. I’ve never shopped at Eureka (at least in the last 15 years) and I know for a fact they don’t have my number in their system. I’ve never received a Eureka ad. I have however, shopped at XYZ clothing brand and within a week or two I’ll receive the same kinda spam ads you’re receiving from said business. These businesses are still selling your data regardless of how they’re geotarget their messages. How does Future know you’re a Eureka customer without that step taking place?
They don’t know I’m a customer, they’d know I am in Salmiya next to a branch.
Hmmm. Strange cuz I don’t have DnD enabled, but I’ve also never received a targeted ad based on my location, and I’m pretty anal about this kinda thing too.
Whenever I’m at The Avenues, I would start getting marketing SMS from the Brands I’m near by and I never shopped at those brands. Used the Zain DnD service to block.
Proper companies have compliance in place where they do not reach out to people without their consent. Leveraging such tools to reach out to people who did NOT opt-in is unethical and even illegal in some places.