1. never signed up for anything like this,
  2. never donated to or signed up for emails from the DNC, et al.,
  3. political texts like this come all the time, and
  4. I hesitate to reply “stop” because I don’t want them to know this is a live number (is my instinct here outdated/inapplicable?)
  • Dizzy Devil Ducky@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    I consider myself lucky because I can’t recall ever getting any messages like that from either side. Closest I’ve come is mail for local candidates for non-presidential office.

    • lars@lemmy.sdf.orgOP
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      5 months ago

      Actual scambaiting is the closest thing I have to religion these days

  • LesserAbe@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    My wife gets a ton of political texts intended for me. Best I can tell is because her cell phone number is under my name with T-Mobile. (Used to be a Sprint account before the merger) I’ve never used her number to sign up for anything under my name. So it would seem either Sprint sold it or an employee leaked it or something.

    I have a Google voice number and pretty much don’t get political texts. The Google voice number rings a T-Mobile prepaid phone, that number doesn’t get political texts either.

    • lars@lemmy.sdf.orgOP
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      5 months ago

      Omg this is essentially me too. I just waited to lose my patience until this White Guys incident.

    • Korne127@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      What the fuck… how can people in the US live with something like that? And how does this not massively hurt her chances?!

      • MajorHavoc@programming.dev
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        5 months ago

        how can people in the US live with something like that?

        We’ve had a number of deeply corrupt individuals in charge of our federal department meant to police this sort of thing.

        And how does this not massively hurt her chances?!

        Even odds are that it’s meant to.

      • tburkhol@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        The politicians made sure to exempt themselves from all the consumer protection, anti-fraud laws. They live in bubbles where their own political agendas are too important for limitations.

        But I suspect, because my brand new phone number gets a lot of political spam, that 1) a lot of people can’t live with it and change their numbers to escape or 2) a lot of it is recycled burner-phones, previously used to launder donations to fit legal donation limits. But it’s given me a personal rule to never make a donation from my real phone or allow my real phone to become associated with any political process.

      • Blackmist@feddit.uk
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        5 months ago

        Is that actually official campaign stuff?

        At least some of that looks like spam designed to get “donations” that they just keep. Saw plenty of that around COVID.

      • droans@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Most don’t get that many. OP is likely targeted in the systems. My guess is that he votes often in the primaries and has shown interest elsewhere, like by signing up for communications or donating to or volunteering for campaigns.

        I just checked my spam and I’ve received four political texts in July.

        • PaupersSerenade@sh.itjust.works
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          5 months ago

          I’d think that as well, except anything targeted at my number uses the wrong name when they include names. Sometimes male, and sometimes female; which is interesting as I’ve kept the same number for more than a couple decades.

          I’m not upset about being called ‘he’, but I would ask you to continue your use of ‘OP’ instead of it. While I’m not offended, the default assumption of someone being a guy only makes it harder for women’s voices to be heard.

  • Binette@lemmy.ml
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    5 months ago

    Hey, it’s White dudes for Harris. We’re getting ready to promote Kamala Harris this November and we need your help. Our first call is this Monday at 8pm EST - will you join us?

  • BearOfaTime@lemm.ee
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    5 months ago

    Filters are your friend. If this is a text message, there are SMS apps which can filter messages by content.

    I block all unknown numbers.

    • lars@lemmy.sdf.orgOP
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      5 months ago

      Is there still a pro revenge Lemmy community bc I have some ideas

    • lars@lemmy.sdf.orgOP
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      5 months ago

      Reminds me how I didn’t know that ’til and till are both words until way too recently

  • blackbrook@mander.xyz
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    5 months ago

    when it started getting really bad, i started replying stop. it maybe made things a little better but i still get a fair number if these (including this one). it definitely hasn’t made it any worse.

    • SanguinePar@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Isn’t there a risk that the number you reply to might be a premium rate number, and replying at all might land you a big charge?

      I don’t get many of these types of messages, but I always just block them.

    • Passerby6497@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      I’ve had decent luck replying with goatse with trump’s face shopped in, gotten multiple ‘i’m just going to unsubscribe you’ messages back hahaha.

  • Nurse_Robot@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    God damn I love my Google phone. Every once in a while I check my call logs and spam text folder to see the hundreds of calls and texts it screens for me, without any notifications. It’s nice

    • BassTurd@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      It is easily the most important feature on my phone. The call screening and spam blocking is unparalleled. I don’t think I have had anything blocked that shouldn’t be, and it maybe messes up 5 or less times a year.

    • droans@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Call screening is honestly one of the best features to ever come to a phone. I really wish this could be added to every handset.

      • littlewonder@lemmy.world
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        5 months ago

        Yes! I set it to auto-screen any number that’s not in my contacts. It’s wonderful and I haven’t noticed any frustration from legitimate callers who go through the screening.

  • The Giant Korean@lemmy.world
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    5 months ago

    I have a Pixel. I did not realize how bad this gets until work made me take an iPhone as my work phone. Holy hell. No amount of “Delete and report as junk” helps.

    • boonhet@lemm.ee
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      5 months ago

      Your country is crazy.

      I get maybe 3-4 spam messages a year and those are all scams, not ads, much less political ads (which I don’t think would even be legal)

      • LogicalDrivel@sopuli.xyz
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        5 months ago

        Lately my Pixel cant even keep up with all of them and some are slipping through. Going into the spam folder is almost comical.

    • littlewonder@lemmy.world
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      5 months ago

      Spam features will keep me in the Pixel lineup’s cold grasp for eternity. I could never deal with OP’s notification tray.