So around 2:48 this afternoon, I got two Sprint PictureMail alerts on my cell phone. Both were from a phone number I do not recognize and were not only pornographic in nature, but were fairly gross (involving food or feces coming out of orifices).
I called the number they were ostensibly from and the guy said he knew nothing about it.
So I used Sprint's e-mail support and sent in this report:
Original Question: Gross Porn Picturemail From Stranger
Question: I was sent two picturemail messages to my phone
(425-XXX-XXXX) timestamped 2:48 from a number I did not recognize
(425-XXX-XXXX). They were gross pornographic photos (one of a woman
crapping on a guy, the other an animation of a woman ejecting grapes
from her vagina). I called the number and the person answering claimed
it was a cell phone he uses for business, never texts of sends photos,
and he knew nothing about it.This wasn't just porn, it was disgusting. It was someone pooping on
another person.I want to know who sent it and I want Sprint to not only take action
regarding it, but to tell me what action you took.
This was Sprint's reply. Note how they misspelled my last name (they couldn't just cut and paste?):
Dear Mr. Bulmush,Thank you for contacting Sprint regarding the gross pornographic
photos. I apologize for the inconvenience this issue has caused to you.Please contact the local law enforcement by dailing 911.
Thank you again for contacting Sprint. We appreciate your business.
Sincerely,
Reeve K
Customer Service Specialist
Sprint
Besides the fact that Sprint refused to do anything about this gross abuse of their network, they suggested I call 911. Now these may have grossed me out and may warrant contacting the police to file a complaint, but 911 is for EMERGENCIES. You call 911 when someone is having a heart heart attack, when you see a car accident, when something's on fire, when someone is actively trying to break into your home. You do not call 911 two hours after a stranger sent dirty pictures to your cell phone. Calling 911 when you're not in immediate danger potentially delays getting timely help to someone who is.
So why is Sprint telling me to call 911 in a non-emergency situation?
Well, if I do report this incident to the police, perhaps I'll also discuss Sprint's advice with them and ask them to remind Sprint about proper uses of the 911 system.
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UPDATE: After a couple of exchanges with Sprint, I finally got them to at least admit that it was not proper to suggest I call 911, and they told me that the number that Picturemail claimed the photos were sent from was not a Sprint subscriber number.
BUT, they continue to insist that this is a matter for the police and that they will not take any action on it unless I file a police report and the police ask them to investigate. Ain't that wonderful?
Silly however I can understand where Sprint is coming from. They don't have the authority to do very much about it. They however should offer better options and work with you on protecting you from those sorts of things. When I contact a company I want my issue resolved or a solution offered. Sprint should have assured you that they were working to block such content in the future (whether BS or not its nice to know they recognize the issue) and should help you contact law enforcement by providing you with the local dispatch number (they're easy enough to look up on the internet).
Sadly this sounds not unlike having your phone number scrawled on the wall of a bathroom stall. I had an ex who had that experience, she had to change her number because of it. Sounds like someone might be mad at this guy and is spoofing his number so that he gets the back flow (pun intended
).