"TPPCO" PPI SMS spam

Despite some high-profile recent cases where SMS spammers have been busted by the ICO, the wave of spam seems to be continuing. This one came less than an hour ago from +447729938098.

Unsure if you qualify for a refund of PPI paid on a loan or credit card? Reply PPI and we will run a no obligation check or reply STOP to opt out. TPPCO

I have no idea who "TPPCO" are, but they are a common sender of these spam message. In this case, the spam was sent to a number that is TPS registered, and I believe that the approach is fraudulent in any case - in most cases the spammers will get paid for a lead even if it turns out that the claimant wasn't eligible.

If you get one of these, you should forward the spam and the sender's number to your carrier. In the came of T-Mobile, O2 and Orange the number to report to is 7726 ("SPAM"). Vodafone customers should use 87726 ("VSPAM") and Three customers should use 37726 ("3SPAM"). Carriers and the ICO are cracking down on these scumbags, but they need reports from victims to gather enough evidence.

You can also report persistent spam like this via the ICO's page on the subject, which might well end up in the spammers getting a massive fine.