BEDMINSTER, N.J.-Verizon Wireless continued to strike back against spammers. The carrier filed a lawsuit in the U.S. District Court of New Jersey seeking an injunction against Passport Holiday of Ormond Beach, Fla., for violating federal and state laws by sending more than 98,000 unsolicited text messages to Verizon Wireless customers.
Verizon Wireless said Passport Holidays sent the text messages last month, informing recipients they had won a cruise to the Bahamas and asking them to call to claim their prize.
Verizon Wireless claims in its lawsuit that Passport Holidays and others violated the Federal Telephone Consumer Protection Act by using “auto-dialing” equipment to send the text messages to sequential phone numbers. The lawsuit also alleges that the defendants used deceptive means to hide their identity and to avoid filters Verizon Wireless uses to prevent spam from reaching its customers.
Last year, Verizon Wireless obtained an injunction against a Rhode Island firm that had been sending numerous text message solicitations to Verizon Wireless customers. This summer, Verizon Wireless sued telemarketing firms based in Florida and California, forcing them to stop making illegal sales calls to wireless customers.
