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?? Spams??--after I switched to Public Mobile, keep receiving "New message available for download"

kim_zhou
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

Hi everyone, I'm new. After I switched to public mobile from fido, I keep receiving "New message available for download" from various friends. I had never "Tap to download". I am pretty sure they are spams. Are there anyone else encounter the same problem? how to fix it? Thank you! Kim

9 REPLIES 9

Jb456
Mayor / Maire

@kim_zhou 

 

When my data is turned off and I get an MMS picture text sent to me. It looks like the below.

 

First this and it keeps spinning.Screenshot_20200217_162417.jpg

 

Then it goes to and arrow pointing down and says "Tap to download"

Screenshot_20200217_163751.jpg

 

 

So then I turn my data on and tap the blue circle with arrow pointing down and then picture comes in.

Here's a list of (most of) the incoming messages I've seen from (most of) Public Mobile's number(s) on my phone.

https://productioncommunity.publicmobile.ca/t5/Discussions/quot-Public-Mobile-here-quot-numbers/td-p...

 

I've only received one MMS attach from PM over the years (albeit I received a download placeholder from a previous, failed attempt a few minutes earlier). It was during their holiday gifts "reward" thing. They're not in the habit of sending MMS attachs unless it's something special beyond business-as-usual.

 

MMS attachments do use active data. They are noted in the Self-Serve data usage as "MMS events" which consume 0.000KB of (the billable) plan data provision.

 

Pending downloads are actually stored on the Public Mobile (Telus) SMSC hardware - with maximum limits on number, total size, and age - they eventually get deleted or overwritten. They have already been downloaded from the sender's webserver, so unless your SMS/MMS client software actively sends a receipt to the network then there's no way for the sender to know if/when their target has actually received the attachment.

 

MMS attachments are supposed to only allow image and audio formats but there are certain ways to send executed or executable instructions. These are now old problems (system hacks) with old solutions (software fixes), well known and well implemented. So even a paranoid tinfoil-hat tech weirdo like me doesn't bother yo be concerned about MMS malware attachments from evil spammers.

 

The CRTC required UNCB (network spam filtering) systems to be in place for all Canadian operators by Dec 2019. Telus (and Koodo, and Public) have conspicuously failed to proudly advertise UNCB features which everyone else brags about, so maybe they're noncompliant and haven't got their anti-spam upgrade in place yet.


@kim_zhou wrote:

message as in a text


Any messages received by text with a picture would need your data enabled.  Is the data enabled on your phone.

 

Once you download the message, obviously don't click on any links within that message if you don't recognize the sender.  At least not until you can verify whether it's from a legitimate sender.

kim_zhou
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

No, I donot think so. they are from different friends....

kim_zhou
Great Neighbour / Super Voisin

message as in a text

will13am
Oracle
Oracle

Public Mobile does not spam customers with text message.  There are occasional service related messages.  The warning noted has to do with MMS being disabled on the phone and MMS is sitting in a que waiting to be downloaded.  Sort of like a voice mail notification.

dabr
Mayor / Maire

@kim_zhou  I have to agree with @Jb456 , sounds like it's MMS and your data is not enabled.  Enabling data doesn't count against your plan data allotment for MMS, even though those message need data to download.

iPhoneUser
Model Citizen / Citoyen Modèle

@kim_zhou wrote:

Hi everyone, I'm new. After I switched to public mobile from fido, I keep receiving "New message available for download" from various friends. I had never "Tap to download". I am pretty sure they are spams. Are there anyone else encounter the same problem? how to fix it? Thank you! Kim


What kind of phone do you have?

Do you mean.....message as in a text?

OR

Do you mean.....message as in an email?

Jb456
Mayor / Maire

Is your data turned off?? Sounds like someone is trying to send you a MMS picture message...that's what happens when your data is turned off as you need data on for MMS to work.

 

Turn data on click the download for picture to come in. Moving forward keep data on to send and receive picture messages and you will not get "Download now".

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