Verizon Wireless sues alleged text spammer

Mobile carrier giant Verizon Wireless has filed a lawsuit in U.S. District Court in New Jersey, seeking an injunction against Passport Holidays, a company in Ormond Beach, Fla., that allegedly sent more than 98,000 unsolicited mobile text messages to Verizon Wireless customers last month.

The short messages informed customers they supposedly had won a cruise to the Bahamas, and asked them to call a number to claim their prize. Passport Holidays and other currently unknown individuals who are alleged to have assisted in sending out the spam are named as defendants in the suit, according to the carrier.

If true, the allegations would be a violation of the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act, which bars the use of “auto-dialing” equipment to send large bursts of text messages to sequential phone numbers within very short periods of time. Verizon's lawsuit also alleges that the defendants used deceptive means to hide the identity of the party sending the spam messages, and to avoid filters that the carrier employs to prevent spam from reaching its customers.

Last year, in one of the first cases of its kind, Verizon obtained an injunction against a Rhode Island spammer who had been sending numerous text message solicitations to Verizon Wireless customers. This past summer, the carrier also sued telemarketing firms based in Florida and California, forcing them to stop making illegal sales calls to wireless customers. In addition, the carrier also secured a court order halting a Tennessee-based company’s illegal practice of using fraudulent means to obtain and sell confidential customer telephone records. Most recently, Verizon obtained an injunction and a seizure order against another Florida-based outfit that had been attempting to obtain private customer information through illegal and fraudulent practices.