Selective Service Reacts to Military Draft Text Alerts

The U.S. drone strike that killed Iranian General Qasem Soleimani in Iraq recently sparked considerable war talk. 

Iran knows that a mano a mano conflict with the U.S. would not end well for them. But that doesn’t mean they won’t try to cause chaos in the region.

That could include launching more missiles toward U.S. military bases. And trying to strike at American interests abroad.

If Iran does enough of those things, it’s possible a war could begin. And that has young men and women a tad nervous.

Jail Time Threatened

Perhaps that’s why the fake text alerts that went out recently caused so much concern.

Apparently a number of people across the country received alerts on their cellphones. The alerts stated that they had been selected for a military draft.

Some of the text messages read like this. “We are contacting you in regards to the United States official army draft.”

It also read, “You’ve been marked eligible.” At least one other message threatened jail time if the person did not respond.

‘Immediate Departure to Iran’

One text was even more specific. And a customized version of it went to multiple areas. It read, “United States Army Draft, we tried contacting you through mail several times and have had no response.

“You’ve been marked eligible and must come to the nearest branch in Jacksonville, Florida for immediate departure to Iran.

“Please contact us at the following number and respond to this message immediately. We’re aware that this number is not disconnected. You’ll be fined and sent to jail for minimum 6 years if no reply.”

Some of the texts used the real names of Army recruiting commanders. Others used fictitious names. 

Selective Service Website Crashes

Many recipients believed the texts were legitimate. Especially because the Pentagon had announced it was deploying thousands of additional troops to the Middle East.

As a result, the flood of traffic on the U.S. Selective Service website was so high that the site shut down.

But the U.S. Army responded quickly to this situation. A statement read that “fraudulent texts have circulated through the country this week.” They made it clear that the text messages were false and did not come from the U.S. Army.

“The decision to enact a draft is not made at or by U.S. Army Recruiting Command,” a statement read.

“The Selective Service System, a separate agency outside of the Department of Defense, is the organization that manages registration for the Selective Service.” 

Facebook Page Quashes Rumors

The Selective Service System’s official Facebook page has also been used to discredit the information contained in the texts.

“There have been reports that text messages are being sent claiming that a draft has begun or is imminent,” the Facebook page says.

“Please be advised that these text messages are not being sent by the Selective Service System or any other Federal entity. 

“There is no military draft. The Selective Service System is conducting business as usual. In the event that a national emergency necessitates a draft, Congress and the President would need to pass official legislation to authorize a draft.”

Military Draft Ended in 1973

The last time a military draft was conducted in the U.S. was 1973. The military has been all-volunteer since then.

But even though there has not been a U.S. military draft in 47 years, all men between 18 and 25 years of age are required to register for selective service.

The reasoning for this is pretty clear. If the draft were to be reinstated at some point, the process of drafting could be conducted in a timely manner.

Those who don’t register are generally unable to get federal financial aid for higher education. They can also be charged with a felony. And fined up to $250,000 and/or given a prison sentence of up to five years.

Regardless, if the draft were reinstated, eligible young people would not be contacted via text. But rather by certified mail.

How Many Received These Texts?

Nobody knows how many people received the fraudulent texts. They seem to have been concentrated mostly in Florida and New Jersey.

Lisa Ferguson is media relations chief for the U.S. Army Recruiting Command. Here’s what she said.

“We don’t have any way of knowing if some areas are receiving more texts than others. Unless we query all 1,400 recruiting stations and more than 10,000 recruiters.”

Ferguson said they learned of the texts from parents. As well as from recruiters who heard from text recipients. 

Cracking Down on Robocallers

These fraudulent texts may bring new attention to an act President Donald Trump recently signed into law.

It’s called the Pallone-Thune TRACED Act. “TRACED” stands for Telephone Robocall Abuse Criminal Enforcement and Deterrence. It allows government regulators to go after robotexters and seek fines of up to $10,000 per violation.

That’s according to Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey. He was involved in crafting the legislation.

Telecom carriers will be authorized to trace these fraudulent texts back to their source. The guilty parties could then be sued under state or federal fraud laws.

What Do You Think?

How do you feel about robocallers and robotexters? Is this a “freedom” we should allow in a free country? Or should the people responsible be prosecuted?

I’d love to hear from you about this. 

 

 

Comments

  • Paul Grubbs - May 04, 2020

    Although not specifically mentioned in The Constitution, the right to privacy is considered an unenumerated right (Amendment IX) which has been consistently upheld by the courts. Protecting uninvited sales pitches does not fall under the intent of Amendment I. Robocalling violates citizens’ privacy; criminalize it.

  • Roger D Unruh - January 30, 2020

    Robocalls from any source for any reason are a PITA. My wife and I have our evenings interrupted 4 to 5 times a week by these… they’re usually requests for donations. If we don’t recognize a name or number on the caller ID we don’t answer, but it’s still an unwanted interruption… I hope an effective law or solution gets into action soon.

  • Nancy in Oregon - January 30, 2020

    PROSECUTE THEM!

  • Brian Harmony - January 30, 2020

    Every robocall originator identified should have immediate jail time. A second offense should involve execution. I believe that expresses my true feelings for the intrusive robocallers

  • rodney scherer - January 30, 2020

    no more robo calls

  • Sheri Baker - January 30, 2020

    I am definitely in favor of the TRACED Act that was passed. Robocalls are not only annoying but include many criminals, frauds and scams, as well as “fund-raisers” and politicians.

    I hope it helps to deter these callers.

  • YAM - January 30, 2020

    I hate these ROBO calls! They should be stooped any way necessary. They are an intrusion on people’s time and not solicited.

  • jim - January 30, 2020

    Robocalls and robotexts are not freedoms that should be allowed, because those who make them are violating the freedom (and privacy) of those who do not want to be bothered by unsolicited messages.

  • Michael - January 30, 2020

    At the very least, robocalls are an invasion of privacy and should be prosecuted to the full extent of the law! This especially includes politicians robocalls!!

  • Jerry - January 30, 2020

    PROSECUTE EM!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    Sez JMB

  • Anon E Mous - January 30, 2020

    Fraud is fraud.

    You don’t get an exemption from prosecution just because you use a computer or smartphone to perpetrate it!

  • Tonia Oppliger - January 30, 2020

    I think people who make Robo calls
    Should be arrested @ fined. I receive
    As many as 4 or 5 in a day
    Thank you

  • MInnie - January 30, 2020

    I think ALL Robot calls should be illegal !
    🤮🤮🤮

  • Sharon Risi - January 30, 2020

    i am soooo tired of receiving robo calls! i’m over 65 and so is my husband and we get tooooo many robo calls. we both activated our numbers on the do not call lists. i’ve NEVER had a student loan but have blocked over 60 calls that wanted to help me with my student loan! and also for car warranty, better credit scores, cash giveaways, FBI, Hang ups when you answer, insurance, phone surveys, secret shoppers, social security, sweepstakes, etc…. when does it ever stop? we have gone through Verizon to have them block what they think are spam calls, however, if you are waiting for a call back from someone like social security, that comes up as potential spam. if your friend from outside the US calls, that comes up as RESTRICTED and you miss out on an unexpected phone call with friends. and now they are cloning our local numbers! have you ever gotten a phone call from your own phone number?!?! yes, we are tired of it. thanks for letting me vent

  • Marjorie Sue Rone - January 30, 2020

    The robo calls and texts should be shut down NOW and these people should be punished now !!
    Sue Rone

  • Joann - January 30, 2020

    I wish the govt. would shut down the Robotexters and Roibocallers. Also, the telemarketers. There are days I can’t cook or eat a meal or even take a bath without getting calls. What a nuisance!

  • CJRoller - January 30, 2020

    STOP the calls. They are a great slow down to your life. For the senior citizen they are a possible fall as well as a stop to their normal life. If it is a number I don’t know I don’t answer but they still are a problem as I have to stop what I’m doing to check the phone to see if they are a call from someone I know.

  • Charles Emmett - January 30, 2020

    Definitely for prosecution of such conduct. In fact, I’m sickened by the constant criminal conduct of leftist types that goes by barely challenged, and certainly not punished. All while anyone on the other side who even holds his mouth crooked is prosecuted and jailed, with the key thrown away. When will our old-fashioned, conservative morals and ways be advanced and protected by our political people? Very tired of whiny, impotent Conservative Republicans.

  • Susan - January 30, 2020

    While I really hate the calls on my cell phone (we got rid of our house phone because we got so many robo calls, many of them threatening) I don’t understand what would we have to sacrifice to stop them from bothering us. I love our religious freedom in the US, and all the other freedoms that make many people risk life and limb to get into this “promised land.” ‘Promised’ you question? Yes, every soul knows that it was created to be truly free and productive, so everyone longs for the “promised land.” I would like to be able to answer each call on my cell phone, but I don’t want to limit our freedoms nor allow a flawed government to monitor my life more than it does. Yes, better legislation for some things is good and good policing follows. But for now I will put up with the annoyance and keep my limited freedoms.

  • John Sanders - January 30, 2020

    I am of the opinion that technology is available for all uses. I also am of the opinion that individuals should be responsible for their own thoughts and ideas. If a person reads a text, or learns from an internet source something that triggers anxiety then that person should learn ways to mitigate anxiety. One way to accomplish this is through independent research. Examine what is being communicated for truthfulness before allowing emotion to dictate action.
    The internet is a wonderful place to visit however it does have areas where tourism should be avoided. Just like being vigilant when visiting abroad, internet travel needs the same level of vigilance. Bad actors are everywhere and we must remain vigilant to avoid conflict. They have been around as long as the internet and are very practiced in their craft.
    I have always believed that the individual knows what is best for them and their family and not the government. I respect what POTUS is doing and am sure the efforts of the office are focused on the security of the nation, but I don’t believe that the government should have control over the internet or any form of communication.

  • Jeri - January 30, 2020

    The robocalls and robotexts are an invasion of privacy. We have a right to freedom but we also have a right to privacy. We give our personal phone number and email address to people we want to communicate with. We teach our children not to talk to strangers, and we have the right to not have strangers calling and texting us, and disrespectfully doing it repeatedly all day long.

  • Marc - January 30, 2020

    IF THE DRAFT IS “REINSTATED,” ALL LOCAL, STATE, & FEDERAL OFFICIAL’S SONS SHOULD BE AT THE HEAD OF THE LIST! NO"EXCUSES!" FROM THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA ON DOWN!!!!

  • Jeff Poole - January 30, 2020

    This is alarming and it’s high time there be a crackdown on these invasive robocalls and the people behind them. I support even more severe recourse than $10,000 fines and much longer jail time. They should be denied access to any communication devices having lost those privileges by invading others freedom not to be harassed and hounded by their inconsiderate behaviors. They’re not so different in motives than others convicted of sexual abuse crimes. It should hurt to get caught for theses invasions of privacy and our sovereign private living space and right for freedom from harassment.

  • Lois White - January 30, 2020

    How do you feel about robocallers and robotexters? Is this a “freedom” we should allow in a free country? Or should the people responsible be prosecuted?

    Definitely the robocallers and robotexters should be prosecuted. Glad Trump putting in the new law.

    Cheers, Lois

  • Maxine Hohneker - January 30, 2020

    Please stop the robocalls.

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