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According to siliconbeat.com, it appears that the latest terms and conditions to use PayPal include you agreeing to accept telemarketing calls...
Well, says the BBC, get ready for a new barrage, because changes to PayPal's terms and conditions starting in July state that users must accept automated marketing calls, emails and texts:
The eBay-owned company told the BBC that it "would honour any customers' requests to decline marketing outreach". But no such opt-out is included in the terms and conditions. Instead customers are invited to either accept or decline.
"If you do not agree to the amended user agreement, privacy policy or acceptable use policy, you may close your account before July 1, 2015 and you will not be bound by the amended terms," the document states.
The linked article later goes on:
The user agreement goes on to state: "You consent to receive autodialed or pre-recorded calls and text messages from PayPal at any telephone number that you have provided us or that we have otherwise obtained."
See how slippery this slope is? If PayPal somehow "obtains" your grandma's home phone, grandma might also start getting unwanted calls because, as the agreement goes on to say, PayPal "may share your phone numbers with our affiliates."
PayPal does say that its robocalls would be used to help customers with account issues or resolve disputes. But it also states that they could be for "offers and promotions," perhaps the two most dreaded words these days among consumers burned out by a nonstop onslaught of in-your-face advertising for things we never wanted in the first place.
Original Submission
(Score: 4, Informative) by Nerdfest on Monday June 08 2015, @05:09PM
There are services like this. I actually use it for my phone for both home and mobile. I use Fongo (here in Canada) which is free. You pay for long distance outside major centres and for texts on mobile ($2/month). You can only be logged into one number at a time, but you can sign up for multiples. I think you may need to log in every 4 months or so to keep it active.
Pretty nice deal, and good quality as well. I actually don't have a voice plan for my phone and just use a tablet plan ... it ends up costing ~20$/month and there's no contract. The only disadvantage is less integration with core services on Android for using Tasker or voice actions for calling and SMS.
I haven't used it for the phone equivalent of per signup email addresses as the only company that spams me with SMS is my actual mobile provider, but I block the calls on messages on my 'real' cell number.