On Double Eleven, junk messages surprisingly add “verification code” to bypass interception.
Due to various reasons, the Double 11 activities on major platforms started early this year. Of course, these platforms would love for every day to be like Double 11, using various tactics like raising prices first before offering discounts.
Most Android systems come with built-in junk message blocking functions, and third-party blocking apps on the iOS platform can also intercept these junk messages. However, promoters of rebate channels are also implementing anti-blocking strategies.
According to the message released by the author of the harassment call and spam message blocking app on the iOS platform, some users have added the key phrase "reject, please reply" to the blocking strategy but still failed to intercept the spam messages.
The reason is not complicated. These spam message senders intentionally add "verification code" in the messages. Most interception mechanisms treat verification codes as whitelisted and with higher priority, so when the interception mechanism detects the keyword "verification code", it will let the message through.
Has this happened before? Yes, but relatively not very often. This year, there should be many more instances of adding verification code keywords to counter interception. Users who use interception software are advised to carefully check the interception settings. If necessary, prioritize deleting these higher priority verification code keywords.
Note: These spam messages are not sent by Taobao official, so it is useless to reject marketing messages via Taobao personal settings.
Furthermore, BlueDot has previously opened business operations for sending SMS due to certain business needs. Normally, the platform categorizes SMS messages into two types: informational and promotional. Informational messages include verification codes, order processing, and other similar information, and the approval process for these types of messages is relatively more lenient.
If the chosen type of SMS is promotional, the platform's review will be relatively strict. However, there are countless platforms available for sending SMS. In order to generate more income, some platforms will knowingly allow malicious addition of verification codes to bypass interception, although they won't interfere as they don't want to miss out on potential business opportunities.
However, according to relevant regulations, promotional SMS messages must include an option for unsubscribing at the end (whether responding to the message will actually unsubscribe is another matter). On the other hand, it is not mandatory to include an unsubscribe option in informational SMS messages. So, if you are really annoyed, you can directly remove "verification codes" from the whitelist, and set keywords such as "reject," "unsubscribe," and "reply" to the highest priority in the blacklist. This should help in intercepting these malicious spam messages. Although there may be a very small number of false positives, regular checks on intercepted content should not be a big issue.