Fraud pays
Until there are real consequences that actually cut into the bottom line, nothing will change. I'm not holding my breath.
The US Federal Trade Commission (FTC) has urged mobile carriers to crack down on scams that lure people into receiving expensive texts. The commission has published a "cramming" report [PDF] that states that American networks are failing to protect subscribers from unfair or deceptive premium service charges, levied by sleazy …
When the first postal service was established, recipients had to pay. Result, they turned mail away. Delivery costs were unmanageable and, thus, postage expensive. Royal Mail's solution was the Penny Post whereby the sender paid an affordable amount and recipient paid nothing.
Apply the same principle to all texts so the spammers and scammers are out of business.
As for telcos taking a slice of revenue obtained by deception, that's a case for Small Claims Court (argue proceeds of crime principle).
Doesn't apply in the US.
What should be made illegal is high cost premium rate lines; or at least contracts should allow them all to be blocked. The scam of sending a message from one of these numbers so the victim will dial back will continue until BT is forced to do something, but I wouldn't make a bet on it happening in any timescale short of the heat death of the universe.
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